


The origin of Comfy Pearl

by Chromite



Series: Stories of Comfy Pearl [1]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Conversations, Destabilizers, Gem Poofing, Mention of Rubies, Origin Story, Pearl Activation, Shattering - Freeform, descriptions of gems, doubts, making an example out of gems, mention of Amethysts, mention of Topazes, mention of other Apatites, mention of yellow diamond - Freeform, mentions of killing, mentions of shattering, performing duties, strategy meeting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2020-10-25 13:43:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 30,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20725148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chromite/pseuds/Chromite
Summary: The story of how Comfy Pearl spent her life before she arrived on Earth, and how she came to be who she is now.





	1. Opening chapter

>In the dark reaches of space, among Yellow Diamond's vast fleets, one gem, one general of a fleet, stood above the rest, feared by all the gems under her command and even by her fellow generals. She was Red Apatite, Facet-1W Cut-393, one of the first Apatites ever created. She was a tall gem, twice the height of a Pearl, towering over even the mightiest of Quartz soldiers. Her skin was a dark red hue, her body clad in a light pink uniform, a Yellow Diamond insignia embedded into her collar below her neckline. Her shoulders were covered in two large shoulder pads, forming diamond like points, a red cape connecting the two pads to each other and going behind her back, which flowed behind her with every step she took. Her hands were covered in dark red gloves, thick yet flexible enough to allow easy movement. Upon her head sat a large red helmet, curved at the top, framing the top of her head in a semi-circle, the edges of the curves breaking open at each side to form two smaller points and a deep V pointing towards her face. Her nose was thin, yet it curved down and grew larger as it came closer to her thin red lips. Within her right eye sat her gem, a triangular shape, the point opposite of the longest side pointing downwards.  
>It didn't take her long after her creation to earn her reputation. Red Apatite took great delight in reveling in the carnage of the battlefield personally. She became known for her brutality towards her opponent, slaying organics without mercy, and shattering any gem that dared stand in her path. Her hands soon became directly responsible for the extinction of thousands of species, along with the shattering of hundreds of gems.  
>Words of her exploits echoed through Yellow Diamond's colonies. It wasn't long before Yellow Diamond herself summoned Red Apatite, to present her with a reward for all her hard work. She was being given a Pearl, something all Apatites eventually earned, but hers had been given to her far faster than any Apatite before her or any Apatite after her had ever gotten one.  
>Unlike the other Apatites, Red Apatite had no desire for such a gift, she thought they were a distraction at best and a liability at most. Still, to turn down a gift from her Diamond was unthinkable, so she accepted it with grace and gratitude.  
>Back on her personal ship, Red Apatite scowled as she allowed the Pearl to activate, the clam floating in midair as a voice chimed out. "Please identify yourself"  
>"Red Apatite, Facet-1W Cut-393."  
>"Greetings Red Apatite, Facet-1W Cut-393. Please state preferred customization options."  
>Red Apatite let out an annoyed sigh before she spoke. "Refer to me as My Apatite, Skin color red. Outfit style leotard, with gloves and stockings detached and standard frills around the shoulders, outfit color light pink. Hair style short and neat, color dark red."  
>"Settings registered. Please stand by." With that, the clam floated away from Red Apatite and landed on the floor a short distance away, glowing brightly as it shook.  
>Soon, the clam itself shattered into pieces as the pale pink Pearl gem within floated off the ground. It quickly formed a body, matching the customization options Red Apatite had spoken, the leotard forming quickly, the stockings on her legs ending a few inches below her inner thighs, her gloves stretching to cover her elbows, ending a few inches beyond her elbows. Her gem settled in on her chest above a V cut into her leotard, to allow her gem to get the light she needed. Her hair took shape next, round, and short, its shade matching her dark red eyes. Her hair curled around the sides of her face as well, framing it neatly.  
>The Pearl smiled as she finished forming, opening her eyes and bowing to Red Apatite. "How do you do my Apatite? Thank you for bringing me into the world. I am at your eternal service, welcome to your new Pearl!"  
>Red Apatite held up her hand before the Pearl could go any further. "That's enough Pearl. I'm going to cut to the point here. I have no desire to have you hanging around me all day. Your orders are simple. You are to wander the ship, assisting and entertaining my crew at their request, as long as they aren't shirking their duties. You will return to my side only when I order you to, Is that clear?"  
>The Pearl bowed once more. "It will be done my Apatite."  
>A smile crossed Red Apatite's face. "Good, now to announce this to my crew." Red Apatite typed a few things into a nearby console, bringing up the ship's broadcast system. "Attention gems under my command. As you may know, I was awarded a Pearl today. She has been instructed to go around the ship, and to assist you with any task that needs to be performed, or to serve as entertainment. Have her do whatever you want, but if you neglect your duties.....the consequences will be severe! That is all."  
>The communication cut out, causing the gems aboard Red Apatite's vessel to murmur between themselves. On one hand, the idea of having a Pearl around to entertain them when they wanted was a dream come true, it was almost like they were being awarded with their own Pearl, even if they had to share! On the other hand, they knew Red Apatite would be watching their performance closely in the cycles to come, to ensure productivity didn't slip. They would have to be careful about how much time they spent with the Pearl.  
>So it was that the crew began having the new Pearl assist them with tasks and entertain them. The Pearl performed with a smile on her face, sometimes dancing or singing for a gem to cheer her up, other times she'd assist the technicians in the labs, handing them tools and holding things still while they were wielded together. It wasn't serving her master Red Apatite directly, but she was still following the orders she had been given perfectly. She was being of use to the gems under her master's command, which meant she was being of use to her master. The Pearl always felt accomplished when the crew thanked her for her help, or applauded her performances.  
>Red Apatite would call on her too sometimes, when she had to go meet with other Apatites. In these moments, the Pearl would happily walk behind her assigned master, opening doors for her, looking pretty, and when the other Apatites and their Pearls arrived, the red Pearl would dance and sing alongside her fellow Pearls, showing off her grace and skills, making the other Apatites marvel at her performances. Seeing her Apatite's face break into a smile as the other Apatites showered their compliments made the Pearl feel happier than she did serving the crew. She came to long for these moments, the moments where she could see her master directly, where she could see her Apatite smile and revel in the attention from other Apatites. She hoped she could continue serving her master, hoped she could bring joy to her and her crew for centuries to come.  
>For eight thousand years, the Pearl performed her duties perfectly. Even during the rebellion on Earth, even when gems were at their lowest moral, she continued to make Red Apatite's crew smile, continued to serve loyally. Even when the other Diamonds started colonizing less and Yellow Diamond, her Apatite's Diamond started pushing colonization efforts harder and faster, she still served with a smile.  
>Unfortunately, all good things end at some point. The Pearl could have never predicted that one gem, one new addition to her master's crew, would be the end of her happiness in serving Red Apatite's crew. She couldn't have known that one gem would set her towards a destiny larger than anything she had imagined before, or anything she could have imagined before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9/23/2019: Edited out some mistakes in descriptions and spelling errors. I wrote this in a rush and didn't proofread as much as I should have.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Details of who the new member of Red Apatite's crew is, and what her affect is on the life of Red Apatite's Pearl.

>The day a new gem was added to Red Apatite's crew was the day Red Apatite's Pearl's life changed forever. Not that she knew it would at first, of course, how could she have ever seen the events coming?  
>The new addition was a Hematite, a gem that stood a little taller than a Pearl, her skin was a dark grey hue, her hair very short and slightly lighter in tone. The gem lacked a nose, her face completely flat, a thin cloth mask covering her mouth, her smooth gemstone sitting where her right eye should have been. Her body was clad in a grey tunic that allowed her to move her arms and legs freely and silently, the only break in the grey being the Yellow Diamond insignia that rested upon her chest. Her hands and her feet were covered in thin strips of white cloth, wrapped around her hands and feet and traveling up her arms and legs, ending below her knees and a few inches before her elbows.  
>Hematite had been assigned to Red Apatite to serve as a personal information gatherer, a gem to be used as part of reconnaissance missions on alien planets, to do a preliminary analysis of organic life and the behaviors of the environments present on a world. For a time, the Hematite was used for her intended purpose, going to the surface of planets accompanied by squads of Rubies, to ensure she stayed safe in unexpected situations.  
>Not that the Hematite needed to be protected, each and every Hematite was programed with combat skills, skills intended to be used from the natural cover on a planet, skills that allowed Hematites to quickly and discreetly dispatch their targets. Their ability to kill organics, and even to shatter gems, from the shadows made many gems weary to be around them.  
>Red Apatite felt no such concerns. After a dozen successful missions had been completed by the Hematite, she started thinking of other ways to use her newest crew member to her full potential. She had long wanted a way to find out what other Apatites were doing while they weren't assigned to missions, and to find out how her own crew spent their time between missions, things beyond what they did in the company of her Pearl.  
>It was with these goals in mind that Red Apatite gave new orders to the Hematite. Hematite stood with her hands in the Diamond salute as Red Apatite gave the orders. "Hematite, you are hereby ordered to gather as much information about my crew, and the crew of other Apatites, during your time not performing missions on other worlds. Is that clear?"  
>"Yes my Apatite, it shall be done." The Hematite had spoken in a low tone, her mind already formulating plans, running through the layout of the ship and the usual layout of docking bays on colonies. The vents through the ship would be her biggest asset in discovering the private behaviors of gems.  
>The Hematite performed her duties all too well. While they were on colonies, she would spy on the crews of other Apatites, reporting peculiar behaviors to Red Apatite and presenting evidence of such behaviors, evidence Red Apatite would use to disgrace the gems behaving improperly and tarnish the reputations of the Apatites they were under the command of.  
>While Red Apatite's crew was in space, the Hematite would sneak through the ship and spy on the gems aboard. Of course, some of what she saw was Red Apatite's Pearl performing for some of the crew, singing for them and dancing for a crowd, sometimes even dancing with other gems. Other times, she would see the Pearl helping out in the laboratories, handing tools to the technician gems, or holding parts in place. These were the actions Red Apatite already knew about, the ones she didn't care were happening.  
>The problems arose when Hematite started discovering the actions that weren't approved of by Red Apatite. Gems of different types were meeting in secret, Peridots training Amethysts on how to build and repair technology, Amethysts showing Peridots how to fight in return, Agates and Emeralds not disciplining rowdy Amethysts and Jaspers as quickly or severely as they should have been, instead sharing in the laughs of the activities, the Agates and Emeralds wrestling with the Quartz soldiers!  
>All of those paled in comparison to the other thing the Hematite had discovered. Aboard Red Apatite's own vessel, gems were fusing together in private! An A Red Agate with a Jasper, an Emerald with an Amethyst, and a Ruby with a Peridot, it was a disaster! Red Apatite was furious when she heard the news of the fusions from Hematite. She wouldn't let this breach of conduct stand. She had to make an example of the fusions, and send a warning to those not performing their duties correctly.  
>Red Apatite called her crew into a meeting, calling out the Red Agate, the Jasper, the Emerald, the Peridot, the Ruby, and the Amethyst specifically by cut. The six gems felt fear when Red Apatite started her speech. "Gems aboard my vessel, take a good look at these six. These gems have broken the laws, performing a forbidden act right aboard this ship! These gems have fused with each other! Such actions are forbidden for a reason. I will not stand for this blatant disrespect to the Diamonds and to me!" Red Apatite grabbed the Ruby and the Amethyst by their gems, lifting them up into the air with a wicked smile, much to the surprise and horror of their fusion partners. "The penalty for disrespecting the Diamonds and me is shattering!"  
>As Red Apatite tightened her grip around their gems, their forms gave way in two puffs of smoke. Red and purple shards clattered to the ground at Red Apatite's feet. The Emerald, the Peridot, the Jasper, and the Agate all looked at the display, fear and sorrow welling up in them, They let out cries of anger as they all lunged at Red Apatite at once.  
>It wouldn't make a difference in the end. Even without her weapon summoned, Red Apatite was able to knock the Jasper and the Agate away with one blow, grabbing the Peridot's gem in her right hand and pinning the Emerald under her left heel, breaking the Peridot with ease and poofing the Emerald with a quick stomp. It was quick work from there for Red Apatite to grab hold of the Jasper and shatter her as well, mixing orange shards with the red, purple, and green ones on the ground. The Red Agate was the last to be dealt with, Red Apatite pulling her body apart until her form dissipated and her red gem bounced a few times on the ground.  
>Red Apatite bubbled the Emerald and the Agate together, then turned her attention to the rest of her crew. "Let this be a lesson, if you're involved in any activities you shouldn't be, I will find out about them, and I will serve up punishment! Now, back to your stations, all of you!"  
>After that day, things changed aboard Red Apatite's ship. Her crew started drifting apart from each other, becoming less friendly and more professional. The Agates and the Emeralds started performing their duties to the strictness that Homeworld expected. Soldiers no longer goofed off between duties, instead spending their times training their bodies. The Peridots kept to themselves, constantly working on either repairing technology or improving it.  
>For Red Apatite's Pearl, the changes were more drastic. As gems started becoming more serious and more devoted to "behaving properly", they started asking the Pearl to sing and dance for them less and less, the Peridots slowly stopped asking her for help in the laboratory. The Pearl found herself with fewer things to occupy her time, and eventually, gems stopped asking for her all together, too afraid that any time spent with the Pearl would be considered slacking too much.  
>With nobody to perform for anymore, the Pearl spent more time wandering the halls of the ship, looking for some gem, any gem, to ask for her aid, hoping someone would allow her to fulfill her purpose once more. As the days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years, her hopes began to dwindle. Outside of Red Apatite's calls for performances to impress other Apatites, she had nothing to do, nobody to serve or make smile. Her mind began wandering. "Did I do something wrong? Did I not perform something right? Do I need to learn new acts? Oh stars, why won't anyone give me an order more often? Did....am I still pleasing my Apatite?"  
>Then one day, the red Pearl was wandering through the ship's corridors as usual, listening in on the rooms she passed, hoping for someone to tell her to do something for them, like they used to. Her path took her to her Apatite's room, where she could hear voices coming from within. She knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, that her master could call for her over the ship's intercom if she was needed, but the Pearl couldn't help herself. She had nothing to do, she knew deep down no gems would ask her to perform for them or aid them. With that thought, the Pearl started listening in to the conversation.  
>"Knowing one of Blue Apatite Facet-7P Cut-915's Emeralds is performing experiments on organic life will aid me greatly. Thanks for your report Hematite."  
>"No problem my Apatite, but that's not the best bit of information I have! This last one's really juicy!"  
>"Well then, proceed with your report, and it better be good." the Pearl could hear the sternness in her Apatite's voice as she spoke those lines, the firm tone sending a shudder through her body. She remembered the tone well, from when Red Apatite had addressed her entire crew that day, the day before she started being used less.  
>"Alright, listen to this! Apparently, Yellow Apatite Facet-1C Cut-717 has been cavorting around with an organic! Isn't that strange, an Apatite like you, growing sentimental towards something so fragile?"  
>From within the room, Red Apatite was now directing her full attention at the Hematite. "Are you sure? I know that Apatite personally, she's as much of a rule follower as I am."  
>"Of course I'm sure! I heard it directly from one of her own agates, a Grey Agate! Apparently they captured a vessel floating in space, primitive technology intertwined with gem technology. To add to it, apparently the organic was deemed non-threatening, couldn't even beat a Pearl in combat. According to the Agate, the organic managed to get the crew to grow attached to it one by one, including the Apatite herself! Apparently it all started with the Pearl falling for him. Imagine, a Pearl of all things, being the cause of most of a crew to fall under the influence of an organic's charms! The Agate is one of the few gems aboard that hasn't partaken of the organic's charms yet, she spoke quite candidly about her disgust with me, even showed me these images!"  
>The red Pearl shuddered at the words as her mind reeled at the information. "A Pearl causing a crew to fall to an organic's influence? Is.....did I cause my Apatite's crew to fall towards each other? Is it.....is it my fault those gems were broken?"  
>The sound of Red Apatite's voice snapped the Pearl out of her thoughts. "Disgraceful, for gems to engage in such activities....Yellow Apatite has disgraced Yellow Diamond with her actions. This disgrace cannot go unpunished! She must be disposed of, her and the members of her crew that have been tainted by the organic! They will all be harvested and shattered! The Pearl that brought about this debacle will be made an example of! Thank you for your report Hematite, keep up the good work."  
>"Yes my Apatite!" The red Pearl jumped as she heard the sound of footsteps heading towards her. She quickly scrambled into a nearby room, hiding behind a door and shutting it before the Hematite could get into the hallway herself. The Pearl strained herself, listening to the footsteps fade away before their sound stopped entirely.  
>The Pearl took a quick peak out of the door, down the hallway both ways, then breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn't been caught eavesdropping, and that was the most important thing right now. She felt a twinge of sympathy for her fellow Pearl, her mind wandering as she walked back by her Apatite's room. Her mind stopped wandering as she heard her master chuckling with glee from within her room. She wondered if someone else was with her Apatite now, pausing in front of the door again to listen in.  
>The Pearl heard Red Apatite's chuckles tumble into full on laughter, a sound the Pearl had heard so many times before. "She only laughs like this.....when she knows she'll get to destroy something." a chill went through her body as she realized her Apatite was already planning out the other Apatite's demise, and the demise of the crew.  
>"Stars, at last, at long last, I have something on my biggest rival for Yellow Diamond's attention! This is too perfect! To think, she'd fall under the influence of another, an organic no less! A single Pearl led her down a path of ruin. It's absolutely perfect, I can get rid of her once and for all!"  
>Red Apatite started to chuckle once more, before she cut herself off, something dawning in her mind. "She was done in by a Pearl......my own Pearl could be a liability in the future. Perhaps it's time I disposed of her properly. I never wanted her anyways, and my crew doesn't use her anymore. She's a waste of materials now, nothing more. I'll take care of her......after I address my crew and finish our planning."  
>Another chill passed through the Pearl's body as she heard the ship's intercom fire up. "Attention all members of my crew! You are to gather in the cargo bay of the ship immediately for an urgent meeting. Attendance is mandatory for all soldiers, Agates, and Emeralds! You have twenty minutes to get there!"  
>As Red Apatite's voice called out over the intercom, the Pearl decided to hide herself away in a nearby room once more. This time, she closed the door entirely, then moved as far away from it as she could get, slumping down against the far wall, her fingers digging into her hair as her mind processed what she had just heard.  
>"I, I'm going to be disposed of?! She, she's going to break me!? She never wanted me!? I, I always did what I was told! I never stepped out of line, never hesitated, never made a mistake! But she.....she never cared about me! Why?!"  
>Then something snapped within the Pearl. She began feeling something she had never felt before. "I, I don't want to be broken! I don't want to stop existing! I, I don't want the other Pearl or that crew to be hurt! I, I have to get out of here! I have to warn them, before my......before Red Apatite finishes her planning!"  
>With self-preservation in mind, the Pearl opened the door quickly, then started running towards the ship's stairway. She knew her- she knew Red Apatite would take a direct path to the cargo hold. She knew other gems would be taking the direct paths too. They would be too preoccupied to notice if an emergency exit pod was used.  
>The red Pearl took off down the hallway and towards the ship's cockpit. She soon found the correct area, the faint outline of a pod resting on the ground. With a quick touch of her fingers, the faint circle grew brighter, a red pod forming around her body.  
>The Pearl couldn't help but smile for a moment as she felt the pod exit the ship and touch down to the ground of the hanger below. As the pod opened, she acted as calmly and casually as she could, looking between the other ships present. Most of them belonged to Red Apatite herself, a small fleet but still a formidable one. The Pearl briefly wondered if Red Apatite had broadcast the message to all her ships and would broadcast to the cargo bay of each one, or if the message had only gone through the flagship.  
>"It doesn't matter. I still need to get away from them all. I need to find the hanger the Yellow Apatite is in and warn her crew......before it's too late. Then.....then I can think of what to do from there." the Pearl thought to herself as she rushed out of the hanger. Her fate and the fate of an entire crew hung in the balance, dependent on her actions and how long she could go unsuspected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're out of the generalization phase now. Going forward, it'll be mostly "in the moment" scenes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comfy Pearl begins searching for Yellow Apatite or her Pearl, to warn them of the trouble about to come to them.

>The red Pearl formally under the service of Red Apatite wandered through the halls of the massive landing hanger, with the goal of finding the Yellow Apatite her former master was plotting against, to warn her. "I know her crew has to be here." the Pearl thought to herself. "The Hematite gave her report on them today, that means she talked to some of them here. Think Pearl, what did that Apatite and her Pearl look like?"   
>Truth was, the red Pearl had seen Yellow Apatite, Facet-1C Cut-717 and her Pearl many times before, and could remember her after a brief moment of thinking. Yellow Apatite herself was a tall gem, almost as tall as Red Apatite had been. Her skin was a pale yellow shade, her body covered in a flowing yellow tunic like dress, strips handing separately in front of her and behind her, coming down halfway on the portion of her leg between her knees and her feet, with dark blue trim at the bottom edges of the pieces, framing a darker yellow Diamond at the bottom. Her feet and legs were covered in tall boots, a shade darker than her dress with light blue trip at the top of the boots. Upon her arms, two long yellow sleeves sat, separated from the thick shoulder pads resting on her shoulders, the material ending at her wrists, leaving her hands and palms exposed, the edges of the sleeves past her elbows trimmed in the same blue her boots were. Upon her head sat a yellow headdress, forming two points above her head, a line of blue on the headdress framing her face perfectly.   
>The most notable thing about Yellow Apatite was the triangular yellow gem that say on her throat above the light blue collar around her neck. She was the only Apatite that had a gem at her throat and was still in commission. It was a well known fact that gems with their stones at their throats, or in their mouths, had trouble speaking, but Yellow Apatite Facet-1C Cut-717 was different, her speaking was always eloquent and her words clearly understandable.   
>"Yellow Apatite's speaking abilities were one of the things that made her the prime rival to my-, to Red Apatite." The red Pearl thought to herself as she kept moving through the halls, her thoughts turning away from the Apatite to the only other member of her crew she had seen: Yellow Apatite's own Pearl, and the supposed source of the.....inappropriate behaviors of Yellow Apatite's personal crew.   
>The red Pearl's thoughts turned towards her fellow Pearl. The first thing she thought of was the thick dark blue hair that ran messily down the Pearl's back to her shoulders and over the Pearl's eyes. She had never seen her fellow Pearl's eyes because of that thick hair, so wild and unkempt unlike her own neat red hair. She continued recalling things about the Pearl, how she had yellow arm sleeves covering her forearms between her elbow and her wrist, each edge lined in a dark blue. How her feet and legs were covered in tall stockings that clung to her form, ending just above her knees, the tops and the areas around her feet lined in a dark blue trim. How the Pearl's shoulder's were completely exposed not even covered by the transparent yellow lace shawl that hung around her body, covering parts of the yellow leotard underneath, a small window at the Pearl's naval to let her gem shine in the light.   
>The red Pearl knew she had to talk to the Pearl or her Apatite directly. If she tried contacting any other gem, it was all too likely they might be part of the crew that had told Hematite about what was happening in the first place. She couldn't risk them leading her around in circles, or worse taking her back to Red Apatite. She shuddered at the thought of what her old master might do to her if she was captured, but pushed the thoughts and fears aside. She had always felt a connection to her fellow Pearl, she owed it to her to try and save her, and if the Yellow Apatite was willing to be swayed by a Pearl.....she couldn't be all that bad, right?  
>The red Pearl kept wandering through the corridors, looking into the rooms where gems might go to relax between trips into space, looking for any sign of Yellow Apatite or her Pearl while acting as casually as she could, trying not to draw too much attention to herself as she passed a few other gems within the halls, mostly Peridots and Amethysts, with the occasional Topaz and Jasper. With each room she checked and each turn she took, a growing sensation of dread grew in her gut. She knew it was only a matter of time before her former master discovered she had left the ship, only a matter of time before gems started looking for her.   
>The red Pearl's fears were realized when she turned a corner, only to come face to face with a Jasper and a Ruby, two gems she recognized as belonging to the crew she had served. She could still remember times where she sang and dance for each of them, and the smiles it brought to their faces. Today though, those smiles weren't present, replaced by grim looks on their faces.   
>The Pearl took a few steps away from the pair, raising her hands up in front of her as she spoke. "No......please, d-don't take me back to her.....don't take me to Red Apatite. She, she's going to......"  
>The Jasper spoke in a sombre tone. "We know. We don't like it, but we.....we can't just let you go Pearl. We have to think of our own gems."  
>"For what it's worth, you were a great source of entertainment. I.....we wish we had kept letting you sing and dance for us. But we couldn't risk it, not with.......with what happened to the gems caught fusing and slacking off." The Ruby added, her own voice low and quiet.   
>"We were ordered to bring you back alive, but......if you surrender now, we promise we'll give you a painless demise. We'll poof you, and you won't have to suffer in pain. We can tell Red Apatite you got broken in the chase."   
>Instincts took a hold of the red Pearl as her eyes widened in fear and shock of what the Jasper had suggested. "No.....NO! I REFUSE to be broken!" Tears flowed from her eyes as she balled her hands into fists and took a swing at the Jasper with her right hand.  
>The Pearl felt her hand connect with the Jasper's jaw and felt her slide back a little. For a moment, she was full of joy and excitement, confident she could somehow overcome the odds against her. Her confidence faded as the Jasper snarled and threw her own punch, connecting with the Pearl's left side and sending her flying down the hall, her form tumbling and her outfit snagging and ripping as she tumbled and slid backwards, tears opening up in her leotard on her left side, the frills on both shoulders becoming more ragged, and her arms and legs forming a few scrapes upon them.   
>The Pearl's eyes widened in fear once more as she brought herself to her feet and started dashing down the corridors as fast as her legs would carry her. She made her turns at random as she came across junctions, left, strait, left, right, strait, right, left, left, right, strait, right. The further she traveled in, the more run down the hanger bays and rooms became. Her path of retreat had taken her into a part of the compound that was in dire need of repairs.  
>It wasn't long before she decided to duck into one of the rooms that were open, hiding herself behind a pillar and stopping to catch her breath. Her body cried out in protest at how much she had just pushed herself, a dull aching sensation throbbing through her legs and at the spot on her side where the Jasper had hit her. A thought ran through her head as she paused to rest. "Please, please tell me I threw them off with those turns, please."  
>A chill went through her form as she heard footsteps in the halls and the Jasper's voice calling out. "Pearl! Pearl, there's no use running and hiding, we're too fast for you to lose, and too strong for you to take on! Just give yourself up so we can end this without any more delays! Please, let us grant you this one mercy. If an Agate or Emerald catches you, they won't be as willing to bend the orders, and you know it!"  
>Deep down, the Pearl did know it. Sweat beaded on her face and forehead as she thought through her options. She knew the Jasper was right, she couldn't take them on as she was, unarmed and inexperienced in combat. She knew the Agates and Emeralds would take her right back to Red Apatite for whatever twisted punishment was in store for her. A small part of the Pearl wanted to give up and submit to her fate.  
>The much louder and stronger part of the Pearl shook off those negative thoughts. "I don't care how hopeless it is, I can't give up! There, there has to be something I can do!" She could hear the footsteps growing closer to her as she wracked her mind, trying to think of a way out of this mess. There was only one door in and out of the room, she had to go out that way, and going that way would expose her to the Jasper and Ruby.  
>A sudden idea struck the Pearl, a small hope kindled in her gem. "What.....what if I had a weapon? If, if I had a weapon, it might surprise them enough for me to get away! It's.....it's my only chance!" Closing her eyes, the Pearl focused on her gem, placing her hands around the stone at her chest. She didn't know if she could summon a weapon or not, but she had to try, it was her best shot of getting out of this alive.   
>The Pearl could hear footsteps drawing closer to her as she felt the energy in her gem build up. It was a strange sensation, a tingling feeling within her gem, combined with a surge of power from within, all building at once place. She clenched her jaw as she focused harder. "C'mon, c'mon! Something, anything, I need a weapon or I'm in real trouble here, I need something to fight with, or at least something to distract them with!"  
>The glow of the Pearl's gem spread out into the room as a shape materialized in her hand, just as the Jasper and Ruby had walked into the room. The pair rushed over to where the light was coming from, their mouths hanging open as they saw the Pearl pulling something bathed in a brilliant white glow out of her gem.   
>The awe of the Ruby and Jasper faded as they caught a good look at what the Pearl had pulled. In her left hand was a tool unlike anything they'd seen before, short handled, solid, with a wide square head at the end, four thin slots cut into its head. They didn't know it, but the weapon the Pearl had pulled was remarkably similar to a spatula used for cooking meals back on Earth. The Jasper, the Pearl, and the Ruby looked at it, the Pearl being filled with a sense of dread as the Ruby and Jasper both burst out into laughter.   
>"Hahahaha, here I was worried you'd have a nasty trick up your sleeve, but look at that thing! What are you going to do with that, make my hands a little sore?" The Jasper mocked between her laughs.   
>"It's not even sharp or large! Just a flat little piece of nothing!" The Ruby jeered.  
>The Pearl took a few steps back, her dread now mixing with a growing frustration within her stomach, the frustration that her "weapon" wasn't much of a weapon at all, of having no way out, and the laughter of the Ruby and Jasper that had her cornered.   
>The dread and frustration within the Pearl soon pooled into a new feeling. "No, I refuse to be caught here! I refuse to go down without a fight!" the Pearl thought to herself as she frantically began waving her spatula in front of her rapidly. "You b-better let me g-go or else! D-don't make me use th-this on you!"   
>The Ruby and Jasper kept laughing, the Jasper breaking out of her laughter, throwing her arms out wide in a mocking gesture. "Go ahead Pearl! I'll give you one free shot, use that thing on me! It'll snap against my chest and then this farce will be through!"  
>The Pearl's eyes widened for a moment before she narrowed them in determination. Letting out a little yell, she swung her spatula as hard as she could at the Jasper's chest. As she swung her spatula, the weapon glowed a soft blue. Crystals of ice shot out of the slots in the head as the head of the spatula moved through the air, the ground growing slick as the crystals connected with the ground, growing larger as her weapon drew closer to the Jasper.   
>As the spatula connected with the Jasper's chest and bounced back, the eyes of all three gems widened as four large pieces of ice broke free from the Pearl's weapon, lodged into the Jasper's chest. The Jasper shuddered as her body began to rapidly cool off, ice spreading from the larger spikes in her body, encasing her form in a solid block rapidly. The Ruby stared dumbfounded at what had just happened.   
>The Pearl herself was stuck in a state of shock for a moment before she shook herself out of it. She quickly swung her spatula at the Ruby, smacking her on the head and leaving four smaller pieces of ice embedded in her forehead before the Pearl made a mad dash out of the room, her mind reeling with questions as she fled from the two gems. "Ohmygosh what WAS that back there?! How.....how did I do that?! Can I do that again?"   
>The Pearl pushed herself through a few turns before she ducked into another abandoned room. In the corner of the dusty room sat a large maintenance vent, the surface coated in a thick dust. Thinking quickly, the Pearl rushed over to the vent. She knew her unexpected trick would keep the gems trapped or distracted for a while, but wouldn't hold them forever.  
>Using her spatula for leverage, she managed to pry the covering off the maintenance vent, grimacing a bit at the dust now coating her hands. She gave them a quick wipe against her tattered outfit before she got on her hands and knees and crawled inside.   
>The last thing the Pearl did before fully committing to taking the maintenance vents was slap her spatula's head down at the entrance. To her amazement, more ice formed from the head, coating the entrance in a thick wall of ice that would hopefully slow the gems after her down further, if they managed to find the room she had fled to. With only one way to go now, the Pearl started her trip through the vents, hoping she could use them to find the Apatite or the Pearl she was looking for.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comfy Pearl travels through the vents in search of Yellow Apatite, her Pearl, or her ship.

>The red Pearl started crawling through the maintenance vents, away from the block of ice she had created, her "weapon" still in her right hand as she made her way forward. The first few movements through the vents had been loud, the sound of her hands and knees clunking against the metal of the vents sending an echoing noise through the vents. As she continued moving forward however, she managed to make less and less noise as she moved while still staying at a decent pace of travel. A thought ran through the red Pearl's mind as she traveled, her outfit catching on some of the rougher edges of the vents a few times as she crawled. "How could any gem stand traveling through these and working in these vents?! They're so cramped, you'd have to be tiny to stand up properly in here!"   
>After a while of traveling through the vents, making five different choices on directions to turn that she was sure wouldn't take her back towards Red Apatite's vessel, the Pearl found herself picking up on voices speaking in the distance, a vent covering sitting a short distance away in front of her as she made another turn. Slowly, carefully, and as silently as she could manage, she drew closer, the conversation becoming easier to understand as she got closer to the vent grate.   
>"You hear about the debacle on Upsilon Nine yet? I hear some strange pink thing managed to steal a personal shuttle from an Emerald."   
>"What an embarrassment for her! Her failures reflect poorly on us Emeralds, make the rest of us have to work harder to uphold the integrity of our gem type. I tell you Agate, that Emerald will be harvested before the cycle is through if she makes too many more mistakes like that."  
>The Pearl had managed to crawl right up to the vent now, peeking through at the shoes of the gems inside. She noticed one was wearing a darker yellow set of footwear, likely belonging to the Emerald, while the other had pale green boots on, similar to the pale red boots she had seen Red Agates under Red Apatite wearing. "This isn't the area I'm looking for. These gems likely work under a Green Apatite. I need to try another route." the red Pearl thought to herself as she slowly and quietly backed up through the vents, back to the turn she had just taken.  
>It took the red Pearl another seven turn choices before she came across another vent, this time the grate was hanging over a room. Cautiously, she peeked down through it, her form chilling at the sight. Below her, she saw two Holly Blue Agates, sitting in chairs with their white boots propped up on the table and their hair buns undone. Each one had something strange in their hands, a wide cylinder, white in color and opened up at the top, revealing a strange green liquid that both Agates were taking sips of periodically. The Pearl eyed the vent for a moment before she slowly backed away from it. "Don't want to risk falling through the vent right on top of a pair of Agates. They'd break me in an instant." she thought to herself as she moved.  
>The Pearl was eight turns in to a new path when she came across a vent opening that led into a main hallway. She hesitated for a moment before she pressed her face against the vent, looking through it and up both sides of the hall, looking for any signs of other gems. "Maybe I should exit the vents here and travel through the halls? They seem vacant enough." the Pearl thought to herself. "It'll be risky, but I could cover ground faster, and I'm sure I've lost the gems that were after me by now."  
>The sound of feet hitting the floor in the distance makes the Pearl's eyes widen as she slinks away from the vent grate. In the distance, she can hear an annoyed voice speaking, one she recognizes from the times she's met her before. It belongs to Yellow Apatite herself.   
>"You still haven't told me why this is so important. If Red Apatite wanted to meet with me so urgently, why didn't she come get me herself?"  
>Another voice spoke out, one the Pearl recognized as belonging to one of Red Apatite's Agates. "Look, I'm not suppose to tell you this, but Red Apatite told me she had something to show you, something "for Yellow Apatite's eyes only". She must have thought it was too risky to move whatever it was she wants to show you, that's my guess. You can ask her what this is about when we get to her."  
>The Pearl could hear the annoyance in Yellow Apatite's voice as she and the Agate walked past the vent in the hallway. "For her sake, this had better be good. This is interrupting my.....personal enjoyment time."  
>"I'm sure it's something you'll find very interesting. We should hurry, don't want to keep her waiting too long, and we've got a lot of turns ahead of us."   
>The Pearl heard their footsteps quiet down as they picked up the pace. A chill went through the Pearl's form. "Oh no.....Red Apatite is already setting her plan in motion! I.....I have to do something, quickly!"  
>The Pearl gritted her teeth as she moved back towards the vent grate and pushed against it hard. It took a few moments, but soon the grate popped free, the Pearl quickly grabbing onto the grate with her left hand before it could clatter to the ground.   
>With a few grunts, the Pearl crawled out of the maintenance vent and into the hallway proper. She took a look down the hall, towards where the Red Agate and Yellow Apatite had gone, before shaking her head and dashing in the opposite direction, a thought running through her mind. "I'll need to alert Yellow Apatite's Pearl of what's going on. If I went after Yellow Apatite, the Red Agate might attack me before I can get my warning out. Stars above, let me get to the crew on time!"  
>The Pearl ran for five minutes before she forced herself into a skidding stop, her eyes widening as she caught sight of what laid before her. A large docking bay opened up at the end of the hall. Within its confines, sitting near a large closed hatch sat a disk shaped ship, a bright yellow in hue with blue trim running around the ship's outer edges. Upon the vessel, three large yellow mechanical legs stuck out, allowing the main portion of the ship to sit off of the ground while still having a part of the vessel touching the surface. The tripod landing system allowed the ship to land on even the most uneven of environments a planet might have. From the center portion of the ship, the Pearl spotted a large ramp extending from the ship and touching down to the ground, allowing easy access onboard. Next to the ramp stood two burly looking Amethyst guards, each with a large purple axe in her hands.  
>The red Pearl took a few panicked steps back and ducked into a nearby room attached to the hall. As the door closed behind her, she started pacing within the room, whispering to herself. "Okay, you've found the ship, and you know you need to tell someone, but how are you going to do it? Should I just tell the guards what I want to do? Should I try and create a ruckus and then duck away when they investigate it? Maybe I should try and find a way onto the top of the ship to find another way in? C'mon, think Pearl, you need to do something before Red Apatite sends her gems here!"  
>The Pearl kept pacing within the room, thinking over her choices carefully, before she clenched her fists together, taking a moment to will her "weapon" away. She knew what had to be done, and she had decided on how she wanted to do it. Steeling her nerves, she left the room and moved into the hanger bay proper, to put her choice into motion.


	5. Boarding the ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comfy Pearl enacts her plan to get aboard Yellow Apatite's ship.

>The red Pearl set her plan into motion, creeping into the landing bay where Yellow Apatite's ship was resting, careful to remain undetected as she made her way around the border of the bay, ducking behind piles of boxes as she moved towards the spot she had in mind. Soon she found herself behind the ship, but a little towards the left instead of directly behind it, a large pile of boxes sitting close to the wall. What she did next went against everything she had ever done. With a grunt and a push, she sent the stack of boxes toppling over, crashing to the floor with a loud series of crashes and clatters as the tops of the boxes broke open as they landed on the floor, sending bits and pieces of metal sliding along the floor, mixed together with a few completed pieces of technology.  
>The Pearl winced a little as she heard the noise the boxes and items within created, and saw the mess spread out before her. Her mind was screaming at her to clean the mess before someone saw it, but she pushed those thoughts away, clenching her eyes closed as she dashed off to the area behind the ship, to go up the other side, the side away from the noise she had just created.. She could hear the two Amethysts that were guarding the ship's ramp shout briefly between each other. "Someone's in the bay, let's get them!" "But we're suppose to guard the ship!" "We ARE guarding the ship, do you want someone to sabotage it from the outside?!" "Fine, let's find whoever it is and catch them!"  
>The footsteps of the Amethyst guards sounded heavily though the bay as they ran towards the toppled boxes, giving the Pearl enough time to make her way to the ship's ramp and travel up it. She smiled to herself as she pressed her hand to the panel and heard the ship's main door at the top of the ramp slide open.  
>Her smile faded as the door finished opening. Standing before her were two more Amethyst guards, one with a gem on her forehead and a large sword grasped in her right hand, the other with a tall spear in her left hand and her gem resting on her left knee. The Pearl let out a nervous laugh as she started to back away, but she didn't make it far before both Amethysts grabbed onto her with their free hands.  
>"Well well, what do we have here? A little lost Pearl, trying to break in?" The spear wielding Amethyst spoke out mockingly.  
>"What should we do with her? Surely her master must be missing her, or would have alerted us she was coming." the sword wielding Amethyst smirked as she looked over to her fellow guard.  
>The red Pearl clasped her hands together in front of her gem and looked at the Amethyst pair with wide eyes, hints of tears forming in her eyes. "Pl-please, whoever was left in charge, take me to her! I, your commander is Yellow Apatite, Facet-1C Cut-717 correct? Her crew must be w-warned, she's in danger, they're all in danger!"  
>The sword wielding Amethyst let out a light scoff. "Please, us and our Apatite, in danger? Who's idea of a poor jest is this?! She just got summoned by Red Apatite. What danger could she be in?"  
>The Pearl practically shouted out the next part as tears streamed down her face. "Red Apatite IS the danger! Please, you, you have to hurry! She's going to.....you're all going to be attacked! She knows about the organic, she's going to break and harvest you!"  
>Both Amethysts that had been guarding the inner door went pale at the mention of their organic pal. The spear wielding Amethyst spoke out in a hushed tone, her eyes narrowing at the Pearl. "How.....did you know about our organic passenger? Who told you that?!"  
>"Please, there's no time! I, you guys have to get ready, now! Please, don't, don't let her destroy you. Don't let your master......or her Pearl get broken."  
>The Amethysts shared an uneasy look between each other. "What do we do? Do you think this is a trap?" "Maybe, maybe not. But she knows about SpaceAnon, at least partially. We can't ignore this."  
>The Amethysts nodded to each other before they turned their attention back towards the Pearl, just in time for the other two Amethysts to come around to the ship's ramp with wide eyes. One of them shouted out at the pair. "HEY! What's that Pearl doing up there, was she trying to break into the ship?"  
>The sword wielding Amethyst shouted back. "She came here with a message about.....a squishy friend of ours, and dangers. We're taking her to Yellow Agate, she'll know what to do!"  
>The Pearl's eyes widened at the mention of an Agate. Even when she was fulfilling her duties and entertaining the crew of Red Apatite, always had the highest standards when it came to performances. A light shudder went through her body as a thought passed through her mind. "Maybe......maybe this Agate will be better. Please, let her believe me quickly, before its too late."  
>The two axe wielding Amethysts retook their positions at the bottom of the ramp as the sword and spear wielding Amethysts walked in unison, their free hands still gripping the Pearl tightly as they led her through the ship's main hallway.  
>As the Amethysts led the Pearl through the ship, she noticed a few gems peaking out at her from within rooms. Some were other Amethysts, muttering about "how they never got the duties where something interesting happened.". Others were Peridots, peaking out briefly at the sound of footsteps, but returning to their experiments or duties just as quickly. Soon, the Amethysts had drug the Pearl along to a huge elevator shaft. The two guards forced her into the shaft before they loaded up behind her, one of them pressing a button before the elevator began rising up the shaft.  
>Dread started clawing at the Pearl as the elevator stopped after rising up two floors, arriving in the ship's cockpit. The spear wielding Amethyst gave a quick yell. "Yellow Agate, we have a situation here! There's a Pearl here with some......troubling claims."  
>The Pearl's dread only grew as she heard an annoyed voice calling out as one of the chairs in the cockpit spun around. "This had better not be a prank from you Amethysts again. You know how our Apatite feels about those." The Pearl's eyes widened as she saw the Yellow Agate stand. Her skin was a very light yellow hue. Her hair was a little darker in shade, tied into two ponytails behind her head, each one with a singular white ring upon it, side bangs sweeping out from the top of her head and framing her face a little on both sides. Her body was covered in a sleeveless and legless jumpsuit, a darker yellow in hue save for the Yellow Diamond emblem on her chest. A pale yellow cape hung from her waist and drooped down towards the ground as she stood, ending at the ankles of her white high heeled boots, boots that traveled up her legs, over her knees, and ending six inches below her legless jumpsuit. A pair of white gloves covered her hands and went up her arms, extending a few inches past her elbows.  
>The Yellow Agate looked the Pearl over with her shining blue eyes, before scoffing at her and speaking out. "So, this.....Pearl has the troubling claims? Well, speak Pearl, what do you have to share?"  
>A chill went through the Pearl as she did her best to salute and speak. "F-forgive me for b-being unannounced, but I had no choice! M- Red Apatite has f-found out about what y-your crew has been d-doing! Sh-she's called your Apatite, Yellow Apatite, away from the ship so she can deal with your master personally! She's going to send a group of her soldiers here to capture or shatter your entire crew, and to eliminate the organic you're harboring!"  
>The Pearl took a little breath before she continued. "Please, you have to alert your crew now! If you're ready and prepared, you can meet them in the halls, before they get here, and have the advantage! Don't.....don't let Red Apatite break you all! Don't let her break your Apatite or her Pearl, please! Don't......don't let her break me........" she looked down at her feet as she spoke the last part, tears starting to spill from her eyes as uncertainty set into her mind. "Please, please let them believe me, let them take some actions, let this not be a huge mistake on my part. Stars, please watch over us."  
>After a brief pause, the Agate looks over the red Pearl one more time before speaking. "Say I believe you. How did you come by this information, Pearl?"  
>"I.....I overheard Red Apatite speaking about it with a Hematite spy......I.....I was eavesdropping on.....my former master."  
>The Agate's eyes widened before they narrowed, both of her grabbing at the Pearl's outfit, yanking her free from the grasp of the Amethysts guards and off of her feet. "So you SERVE Red Apatite, and you EXPECT us to believe you?! Believe you'd betray the gem you were made for?! WHY should we trust you?"  
>The Pearl spoke in a sad tone. "She.....she didn't want me. She never wanted me. She....she was going to break me for something.....something I didn't do. When....when I heard that, I.....I couldn't stand the thought of not existing, at the whim of someone that never cared about me. I couldn't stand the thought of seeing other gems get broken at her whim......she's a monster."  
>The Agate slowly lowered the red Pearl to the ground, fear starting to gnaw at her gut. "You....you aren't lying are you? She's......really coming for us, isn't she?" The Agate let go of the red Pearl, and turned her attention to the two Amethysts in the room. "You two, go down to the ship's storage bay and start pulling weapons out of the storage hold. I'll use the ship's intercom to alert the crew about what's going on. Move, NOW!"  
>"Yes Yellow Agate!" The two Amethysts saluted briefly before they both dashed off to the elevator, activating it the moment they were both inside, a low hum coming from the shaft as it started moving downward. Meanwhile, the Yellow Agate went over to a nearby console, picked up a eight sided prism, and pressed a few buttons before she spoke into it. "Attention crew! This is Yellow Agate! I've received information that a squad of gem soldiers is approaching the ship, with the intention of poofing or breaking us all! All gems onboard are to report to the main hall of the ship immediately and prepare for battle. I do mean ALL gems, that includes you Peridots and my Apatite's Pearl, wherever she might be. The organic is to stay put, wherever he might be! I'll speak with you all again in the main hall, Yellow Agate out!"  
>At the end of her broadcast, Yellow Agate turned her attention back towards the red Pearl. "So, what do you plan to do now?"  
>The red Pearl's body shook as she spoke. "I....I don't know. I, I warned you guys, so now.....now its time for me to figure out where to go."  
>"You know you'll be shattered if you're caught in the halls, right? If the troops are anywhere close to the ship, you won't be able to escape."  
>The Pearl's eyes widened in realization. "Then.....I'm trapped here, with you guys, aren't I? Stars, if.....if only I had gotten here sooner, before Yellow Apatite was led away!"  
>Yellow Agate placed her right hand on the red Pearl's shoulder, causing the Pearl to look her in the eyes. "Listen to me, Pearl. Your warning is appreciated, it'll make surviving the day easier for us all, but nothing is guaranteed. If you want to ensure you make it through the day intact, you'll need to fight! You have my word, if we both make it through today, and if we can save Yellow Apatite, I'll make sure she knows of your assistance. She'll help you sort out what to do when everything is over."  
>The red Pearl thought for a moment before she nodded her head and reached for her gem, her stone glowing brightly as she pulled her red spatula out of her gem once more. "I'll help you keep this ship safe but.....you and your crew will need to.....I, I can't go back to her......I can't help you get your Apatite away from Red Apatite. I......I'm sorry."  
>The Yellow Agate nodded her head in understanding. "That's fair enough. Help us secure the ship, and the soldiers aboard the ship will take care of the rescue while you and the non-combatant gems stay aboard. Now let's go!"  
>With that, the Yellow Agate and the red Pearl headed to the elevator, to travel down to the main hall of the ship and prepare for the fight that was to come. In the back of the Pearl's mind, a few thoughts passed. "I have no choice now. For my sake, I have to fight. I have to do what I can to ensure the ship stays safe so.....so I can hide, and plan my next move in case things.....go wrong."


	6. Forming a strategy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Agate and Comfy Pearl head into the elevator and down to the main hall of the ship, where Yellow Agate speaks out about the strategy for the upcoming fight.

>The elevator hummed to life once more as Yellow Agate and the red Pearl stepped inside of it. Yellow Apatite pushed one of the buttons within the elevator room shortly after they loaded up inside, the doors sliding closed quickly after the input had been given. It wasn't long before the elevator arrived in the main hall, and the doors slid back open.   
>As the elevator doors slid open, the red Pearl let out a little gasp as she saw the sheer amount of gems that had gathered in the main hallway. Before her eyes huddled together stood fifteen Amethysts, fifteen Topazes, fifteen Rubies, and fifteen Peridots.  
>At the head of the crowd stood three gems. One was a gem the red Pearl had seen before, Yellow Apatite's own Pearl, standing to the left of the group, her blue hair slightly messed up, her hands folded over her chest in a Diamond salute. In the middle of the group stood an Emerald, her dark green hair pinned back by her golden tiara on her forehead in a wild mess, vaguely resembling a short haired lion mane with the way her hair framed her face. Her body was clad in the standard style of an Emerald's uniform, a Yellow Diamond insignia displayed proudly on her chest, a dark green cape draped over her left shoulder and hanging down her left side loosely. Within her left hand, she held a thin green rapier, the sword itself drawing energy directly from the gem in her left palm. Fangs poked out of her mouth as she smiled at seeing Yellow Agate stepping out of the elevator. She was still a young Emerald, but she was always eager to experience new things, and today promised to be an exciting one.   
>To the right of the Emerald stood a Grey Agate, a look of worry in her two eyes. Unlike Yellow Agate, the Grey Agate's hair was tied into a ponytail behind her head that drooped down to her shoulders .Her uniform was a paler grey than her skin, almost white in nature, the only spot of color being the Yellow Diamond symbol on her chest. This Agate opted out of the high heels most other Agates wore in favor of normal boots, thick and black, perfect for walking through rougher terrain. She was by far the oldest gem aboard the ship, even older than Yellow Apatite herself.   
>Upon seeing the Grey Agate, the red Pearl's eyes widened for a moment. She recognized the Agate from the words she had heard Hematite speak. She knew the Grey Agate was the one that had given the information to the Hematite, the information that had been passed to Red Apatite, and the reason she and Yellow Apatite's crew was now in the situation they were in.  
>The red Pearl hesitated for a moment before she tugged gently on Yellow Agate's sleeve and whispered in a low voice. "Yellow Agate, pardon my pulls but you need to know something before we get to where those three gems stand."  
>Yellow Agate didn't look at the red Pearl, but she responded in an equally low tone. "Stop tugging on my sleeve and speak fast. I have gems to instruct."  
>"The Grey Agate was the one that tipped off the Hematite about your organic friend. She's the one responsible for the current situation."  
>Yellow Agate fought the urge to shout. Instead, she hissed out in a low tone. "Are you sure it was her? She's always been loyal to our Apatite."  
>"I'm certain, I overheard it from the Hematite herself as she talked to Red Apatite."  
>Yellow Agate contemplated for a moment before she spoke again. "Thank you for telling me. Leave the rest to me."  
>The red Pearl nodded. With a smile, Yellow Agate cleared her throat, causing the gathering of gems to turn to look at her. "Clear a path, and let us through. Be quick about it, we need to move!"  
>The crowd of gems murmured a little as they moved aside, creating a path for Yellow Agate and the red Pearl to walk. A few of the Amethysts and Topazes eyed the red Pearl with suspicion as she walked, while other gems, mainly the Peridots, were too busy worried about what was about to happen to care about a strange Pearl. As Yellow Agate and the Pearl approached the front of the crowd, two large boxes came into view. While they were sealed shut, the Agate knew exactly what was in them.   
>As the pair arrived at the Emerald, the Grey Agate, and Yellow Apatite's Pearl, the red Pearl could swear she saw her yellow counterpart flinch a bit with recognition. The red Pearl shook the thoughts away. "Can't worry about what she thinks of me, need to focus on what Yellow Agate says."  
>Yellow Agate's voice sounds loudly through the room as she speaks to the crowd. "As you're all aware, there's a troop of gems coming to attack us, with the intention of poofing or shattering us! Some of you might feel frightened, and you should! We face an unknown number of foes, and we have nowhere to retreat if we start getting overwhelmed. What's worse, our captain, Yellow Apatite, is now in danger!"   
>With that declaration, the gems in the crowd started murmuring to themselves ."Our Apatite is in trouble?" "Who's going to attack us?" "Why is this happening?" "Will we make it out of this alright?"  
>Their murmuring was cut short by the shout of Yellow Agate. "Quiet! Things look bad, but we CAN get through this, thanks to the advanced warning from a lone gem, who braved who knows what to get this information to us." Yellow Agate turned to the red Pearl and waved her hand in a motion for her to step forward.   
>Nervously, the red Pearl did as she was motioned, stepping up towards the crowd and taking a spot next to Yellow Agate. Once she was in place, Yellow Agate spoke once more. "This Pearl is responsible for the warning and preparation time we have. Thanks to her, we know who's sending the gems to get us! It's none other than Red Apatite, our Apatite's longtime rival, and one of the cruelest gems to ever be created!"  
>This new statement made the crowd murmur a little more, but Yellow Agate cut them off quickly. Behind her, Grey Agate started fidgeting in place, moving her hand slowly behind her back, reaching for the gem that rested close to the base of her spine as Yellow Agate spoke. "Settle down! Now, like I said, things are looking bad, but we CAN get through this! We CAN beat whatever troops Red Apatite sends for us. We WILL save our Apatite! We must do this, for her and ourselves. And to those that stand in our way......." Yellow Agate trailed off as she picked up on the light movements behind her. "We will show them what we're capable of when we have something to fight for!"  
>In a blur of motion, Yellow Agate spun around on her heals and lunged forward, thrusting her right palm towards Grey Agate's chest. Grey Agate's eyes widened as she saw the gem on Yellow Agate's palm light up, the tip of a weapon already poking out of the stone. She tried her best to hasten her own weapon summon, but it was to no avail. Yellow Agate's palm connected to the Grey Agate's chest, her weapon shooting out of her gem and thrusting through the traitor Agate's chest as it took the form of a large lance.   
>The Grey Agate's form shuddered for a moment as she stood there, stunned and impaled. A few seconds later, her form dissipated, her grey teardrop gem clattering to the ground, causing the crowd behind Yellow Agate to murmur louder. "Why did she do that?!" "What's the meaning of this?!" "Grey Agate, no!" "She's a traitor!" "What do we do?!". Next to her, the Yellow Pearl's eyes widened under her bangs, while the Emerald spoke out in a loud tone. "Yellow Agate, you were left in command, why did you poof your second in command?!"   
>Yellow Agate smirked a little as she picked up the Grey Agate's gem and spoke up. "This gem, Grey Agate, was the one that sold out SpaceAnon to the Hematite that informed Red Apatite of our special guest. Traitors deserve what they get, but it's not my job to sentence her. Still, she needed to be removed, or she would have betrayed us in the fight!" Yellow Agate turned back to the crowd, Grey Agate's gem in her left hand and her lance in her right, before she made a quick motion with her fingers, a shining yellow bubble forming around the grey gemstone. "When we save Yellow Apatite, she will decide the fate of the traitor, the gems attacking us, and the fate of Red Apatite! Now, for the battle plan!"   
>Yellow Agate used the tip of her lance to tear open one of the box tops, revealing the destabilizers within. "Every gem is to grab a destabilizer, no exceptions! Rubies, Amethysts, Topazes, there are three entrances to this landing bay to cover, and we must defend them all as long as we can! You will group off, five of each gem type at each entrance. You will fuse up, three gems in a fusion of each type, two on support. That puts three fusions and six normal soldiers at each entrance. Peridots, you will split into groups of five, and one group will go with the soldiers to each hall. You are to use your limb enhancers to block projectiles, slow attackers down, and fire your own shots! Cover the fusions as long as possible."  
>Yellow Agate took a brief pause before she continued. "As for me, Emerald, and the Pearls......I will accompany the group to the left side and lend my support there! Emerald, you will cover the right, and use your skills there. The Pearls.....will both go to the center and do the best they can to help defend the Peridots. Use your destabilizers to poof any soldiers that get too close, that goes for all of you!" Yellow Agate focused on the red Pearl and the spatula in her hand. "And whatever that thing can do? Use it as best you can, alright? That goes for all of you, use the properties of your gem weapons to the fullest extent possible! For Our Apatite, and for SpaceAnon!"  
>The crowd of gems cheered as they moved towards the boxes, the Amethysts and Topazes at the front grabbing destabilizers and passing them back, instructing the gems behind them to do the same until everyone had a device. The red Pearl approached the box carefully, taking the device in her left hand as she looked at the red spatula still in her right hand. She hesitated for a moment as a thought ran through her mind. "This is it, isn't it? I have to fight, or I'm doomed."   
>She felt a small hand touch her right shoulder, causing the red Pearl to turn her attention to see who it was. Her eyes widened for a moment as she saw it was her fellow Pearl. In a low tone, the yellow Pearl whispered as she leaned in to the box. "Thank you for the warning. I know it must be hard, to betray the one you were made for. Let's do what we can to keep us all safe."   
>The red Pearl gave her fellow Pearl a quick nod as she saw the yellow Pearl pull out two destabilizers, one for each of her hands and a smile on her face.   
>With every gem onboard armed with a destabilizer, the group of gems made their way out of the ship and into the hanger proper. Shortly after exiting the vessels, the gems broke off into the agreed groups, five of each gem type heading for each of the three entrances, with Yellow Agate heading towards the left of the ship, Emerald towards the right, and the Pearls moving strait ahead. The bodies of gems glowed as the Topazes, Rubies, and Amethysts started fusing into the three gem fusions, their forms melding together and creating larger versions of themselves before they continued walking towards the entrances.   
>Each group of gems took positions to either side of the entrances to the halls, out of sight to ensure they kept the element of surprise for as long as they could. Inside each gem, a mixture of fear and determination built up in their guts. All that was left now as to wait for Red Apatite's troops to arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was pretty simple in nature. Next chapter.......oh boy, next chapter is going to be a doozy.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Within the landing bay of Yellow Apatite's ship, a battle breaks out.

>The red Pearl crouched down nervously a short distance away from the central entrance to the hanger. At her side was the large Topaz fusion, two Amethysts, two Rubies, and three Peridots. Across from their position, the Amethyst and Ruby fusion crouched, accompanied by two Topazes, two Peridots, and Yellow Apatite's Pearl. At the other two entrances of the hanger, the other groups of gems had divided similarly, all of them crouched behind large stacks of boxes, filled with supplies, most of them freshly unloaded from Yellow Apatite's personal vessel. The boxes had been arranged in a way that they'd conceal the gems hiding behind them from all angles of sight from the halls leading to the landing bay.  
>The red Pearl couldn't help but shake a little as she picked up on the sound of dozens of footsteps echoing through the halls. She knew her old master, Red Apatite had more soldiers at her disposal than what Yellow Apatite had. She knew there would be Rubies, Jaspers, and Amethysts coming for them, twenty-five of each soldier type would be coming for them. There was no way Red Apatite wouldn't send the full force of her soldiers, possibly even sending the Agates with them just to be sure.  
>As the footsteps grew louder, the red Pearl did her best to fight back her anxiety about what was to come. They would only get one shot at catching the soldiers coming after them by surprise. They had to make it count, had to take as many soldiers out in one strike if there was any hope of them getting through this with minimal casualties.  
>From behind the boxes, through the small gaps, the red Pearl tensed up as she observed the legs of an Amethyst stop a short distance into the landing bay. A chill ran through her body as she heard the Amethyst speak. "This isn't right......there's no guards at the ship's loading ramp. There should have been at least two there."  
>The voice of a Ruby cut through the crowd. "Maybe they're taking a break, or guarding the top? Or maybe they're slacking off?"  
>"Slacking off on guard duty? Not a chance. Not with the recent rumors of rebel pirates drifting around." The voice of a Jasper rung out. "Not even an Amethyst would risk goofing off at a time like this."  
>"Gee, thanks a lot for that. We're not THAT bad at slacking off!" Another Amethyst spoke up, her tone filled with annoyance.  
>"Maybe YOU aren't, but we all know how Amethysts are!" A Jasper's voice sounded out once more. "If it wasn't for our Apatite cracking down on us, you'd all still be goofing off when you could!"  
>"Why don't you say that to my face?!" "Hey, that's uncalled for!" "You Jaspers are so snobby!" Amethysts voices started calling out in anger.  
>"WE get things done right the first time!" "Oh shut up, you know it's true!" "If we're snobby, you're all lazy!" Jaspers taunted back in arrogance.  
>Tiny voices of Rubies chimed in. "Hey, we're here for a job!" "Stop fighting each other!" "Let's just get this done, you can fight each other later!"  
>The Rubies were largely ignored as Amethysts and Jaspers started shoving at each other, crowds of gems moving further into the landing bay. The red Pearl couldn't help but feel a mix of sadness and relief as she heard the soldiers fight among themselves. "They're too tense. They never used to fight each other like this, but with Apatite cracking down, they've been repressing themselves." she thought to herself before she whispered in a low tone to the gems around her. "There's no Agates or Emeralds with them. The Agates would have broken them up by now." The gems around the red Pearl nodded in understanding. No Agates and the soldiers fighting among themselves, even in this one area, was a good thing. They could take advantage of it when the opportune moment presented itself.  
>The moment came sooner than they thought. The fighting near the boxes the red Pearl and her accompanying gems were hiding behind grew more violent, Sounds of weapon summons rang out all around them, the clash of hard light hitting hard light echoed through the bay. She could hear footsteps running towards them now, various voices from two directions calling out. "Hey, what's the big idea?!" "You're blowing this for all of us!" "Break it up sis, come on!" "Stop this, or Red Apatite will have our shards!" met with a chorus of "These Jaspers are rude, they need to learn manners!" "They're mad we have their habits pegged!" "These Jaspers need to remove the shale from their posteriors!" "Better shale than random bits of trash!"  
>The sound of the voices was growing louder, grunts and yells growing in volume near the hiding spots of the red Pearl and the gems around her. "Stars, the entire force is right next to us. We're doomed, we're so doomed." the red Pearl thought to herself. Near her, the large Topaz fusion looked around her at the Peridots, the Rubies, and the Amethysts, and gave a light whisper. "Get ready, we're making our move on the count of three. No doubt the others realize now's the time."  
>Destabilizers were gripped tightly in the hands of all as the red Pearl and the other gems heard the Topaz fusion count in a low tone as the soldiers Red Apatite had sent continued to fight among themselves. "One......two........THREE!"  
>Destabilizers flared to life as the fusion broke through the boxes, Peridots, Amethysts, and Rubies springing up around her, with the red Pearl standing last. From the other side of the entrance, the Ruby and Amethyst fusions broke through their boxes, with the Topazes and Peridots following shortly behind Yellow Apatite's Pearl.  
>A wild grin was on the yellow Pearl's face as her blue hair waved behind her head, revealing two shining blue eyes, narrowed in determination as she thrust the destabilizers in her hands towards the group of soldiers. From the other two entrances, the other groups sprung into action, some of them heading towards the larger group now fixated at the central hall, others engaging the soldiers that were straggling, or that had decided not to get mixed up in the large fight.  
>The brief moment of surprise were enough for the groups the Pearls were leading. Gems clattered to the ground as Destabilizers were thrust into the forms on the outermost edge of the group, the Peridots springing back after a single thrust to prepare their limb enhancers for action. The red Pearl grimaced a bit as she watched the Amethyst she had stuck her Destabilizer into fall apart, while the Ruby she had smacked with her spatula in her right hand started to freeze into a solid block of ice.  
>With the initial surprise wearing off, the Jaspers, Amethysts, and Rubies under the command of Red Apatite started turning their gem weapons towards their attackers. A few let out yelps of shock as they felt their weapons ripped from their hands by the beams from limb enhancers, followed by the jolt of a destabilizer being thrust into their forms. Others felt themselves crushed and slashed by the giant weapons of fusions, swords, axes, hammers, spears, all brought down full force. A few managed to cut into the forces of Yellow Apatite's gems, Topazes, Rubies, and Amethysts poofing and clattering to the ground, mixing with the attacking gems, the gems that poofed them clattering to the ground shortly after they had landed their blows.  
>Within moments, the conflict was over. The entire force of Red Apatite's gems had been poofed, or in the case of a Ruby, two Jaspers, and an Amethyst, encased in a block of ice by the red Pearl's spatula weapon.  
>Meanwhile, the forces of Yellow Apatite's gems had suffered fewer dissipations than expected. In the end, five Topazes, seven Amethysts, and nine Rubies were poofed from the defending forces. The Yellow Agate and the Emerald both sighed as they looked at the Rubies and Amethysts mixed together, the Yellow Agate speaking up. "We'll have to sort this out later, let the Rubies and Amethysts reform one at a time. Bubble all but the Topazes, and be quick! We need to hurry before word of how this fight went gets back to Red Apatite. We need to get to our Apatite as soon as possible!"  
>The red Pearl watched as Yellow Agate, Emerald, and the remaining Topazes, Amethysts, and Rubies started bubbling the gems. Her eyes widened in surprise and her body shivered as she saw one gem, a Jasper, get picked up with large cracks on its surface.  
>A hand coming to rest gently on the red Pearl's shoulder caused her to turn around in surprise, her spatula reared back to strike. "Woah, WOAH! Don't strike me with that, I don't want to be ice!" A Peridot spoke out frantically as she removed her uncovered hand from the red Pearl's shoulder and held both of her hands up.  
>The red Pearl blushed a little as she stopped swinging her weapon, letting go of it shortly after and letting it vanish in a small cluster of sparkles. "Sorry I thought you were......I was lost in thought. What.....what's going to happen to the cracked gems? They....I know they attacked us, but I....I used to....."  
>A smile crossed the Peridot's face. "You're worried about the gems you used to be around, aren't you?" The red Pearl nodded meekly. "Is......is that odd? I spent so much time making them laugh and smile......today wasn't easy."  
>The Peridot nodded solemnly "Don't worry, it's completely understandable. As for the cracked gems.....they'll be fine. We've got a special solution that'll heal those cracks up. Although......it's up to Yellow Apatite to decide what we do with them, or Yellow Agate if we......no, we'll save her. I know we will."  
>The red Pearl let out a sigh or relief. "I'm glad they won't remain cracked at least. They.....there's some good gems among them. They deserve a second chance.......away from Red Apatite." she clenched her hands together at the thought of her old master. "It's HER fault thing happened like this. Her fault they.....that I had to....."  
>The Peridot couldn't help but chuckle at the actions of the Pearl in front of her. "Well well, you seem like you've got a bone to pick with her. You want to come watch us go after your old master?"  
>The red Pearl tensed up before she shook her head in rejection. "If I go back......she'll aim for me. I know she will, she'll make sure I don't walk away. Sorry......even with the majority of her forces dissipated, you've still got Agates and Emeralds to deal with, and Red Apatite herself. I......I can't risk it. I'm sorry."  
>"Suit yourself. Yellow Agate will probably ask most of us Peridots to stay behind for this next part, but I want to go with them. I quite enjoyed that fight." A smirk spread across the Peridot's face as she brushed a bit of dirt off of her left shoulder gem. "Maybe you can help the Peridots that stay behind out with things while you wait for the results of our rescue mission."  
>"Maybe I can......" the red Pearl's eyes wandered to the site of the battle once more. The Rubies, Jaspers, and Amethysts had all been bubbled. The Topaz gems were glowing and reforming before her eyes. All that was left now were the Amethyst, the Ruby, and the two Jaspers she had encased in ice. A sudden thought came to her mind. "I.....I hope the gems I froze will be okay. I.....I don't know how strong my weapon really is. I hope the other Jasper and Ruby I hit are okay too."  
>"They'll be fine too. All they need is a little heat to melt them out. Actually.......we should leave a few behind to take care of them, so they don't cause a mess here if they get loose while the soldiers are away. C'mon, let's go speak to Yellow Agate."  
>The red Pearl nodded before she and the Peridot started over to where Yellow Agate was standing. Bubbles were being stuffed into empty boxes and sealed off, she was pointing around and speaking frantically as gems around her picked the boxes up and started carrying them towards the ship. "Hurry, get these gems contained and aboard the ship! The faster we finish, the faster we can get to our Apatite!" Then she caught sight of the Peridot and the red Pearl. "You two, what are you doing?! Peridots are to wait on the ship, and I know you don't want to go with us Pearl."  
>The red Pearl grimaced a bit, but the Peridot spoke up. "My Agate, the gems encased in ice will need to be dealt with too, or there needs to be a few guards for them! Also, please take me with you, I want to fight for our Apatite!"  
>Yellow Agate's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before a smile crossed her face. "Well well, one of you technicians has a spine after all. Most of the others were all too eager to get back on the ship. Your assistance is appreciated. As for the gems in the ice......we're leaving three Topazes behind to watch them, three of the ones that got poofed. They've been instructed to try and break them out faster. See, there they go now."  
>Yellow Agate pointed towards the ship, the Peridot and the red Pearl following her finger with their gaze. Sure enough, they saw three Topazes with four blocks of ice, two of the three carrying a Jasper ice block, while the last one had the Ruby block stacked on top of the Amethyst block and was pushing both along the ground. Both the Peridot and the red Pearl let out sighs of relief.  
>"If that's all, please load up on the ship Pearl. Peridot, you're with me, we're having a brief strategy talk before we go!" Yellow Agate turned away from the pair and started walking towards where the remaining soldiers were already gathering, the Emerald already with them and trying to organize them into gem type.  
>"Y-yes my Agate! See you soon Pearl." The Peridot smiled as she hurried to catch up with the Agate, leaving the red Pearl alone.  
>"It's in their hands now. I did my part." The red Pearl thought to herself as she started back towards the ship. She wasn't sure how their rescue attempt would go, but she hoped they'd make it through alright. For her sake, for their own, and for the sake of Yellow Apatite, they had to succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't as bad as I had feared it'd be. Sickness aside, writing this chapter went fairly smoothly.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Comfy Pearl passes time with thought and helping some Peridots in a laboratory, while she waits for the results of Yellow Apatite's crew going to rescue their Apatite.

>Aboard the ship of Yellow Apatite, the red Pearl stood within one of the laboratories of the ship, three Peridots around her. She had decided to take the advice of the Peridot that had gone off with Yellow Agate, the Emerald, and the remaining Topazes, Amethysts, and Rubies that weren''t staying behind or currently poofed and mixed up with the assailing gems they had faced.   
>The red Pearl was doing her best to keep herself busy, passing the tools to the Peridots as they requested them, holding things steady when asked. She found herself enjoying helping other gems, but in her mind, she knew it couldn't last. Her mind wandered to thoughts of what would happen next, how the future could unfold. "If they fail, Red Apatite will come here personally to finish off the crew still here. Probably won't care about her own troops being poofed, she'll break everyone on board to be safe." she shuddered at that thought. "If she does come here, I'll have to make a run for it again. But, if they succeed.....I'll have to come up with a plan. Would this crew be willing to take me in? Could I stay with them safely?"  
>The red Pearl soon pushed the thoughts of staying with the crew out of her head. "No....it's not safe to stay with them. If I'm seen and connected back to Red Apatite, other gems will start to suspect something. There's no question about it, if they beat Red Apatite, they'll need to make sure she never threatens them again. I'll be too conspicuous." she idly passed a piece of metal to the Peridot on her left. "There's also their organic to consider. I haven't seen it, but if Red Apatite found out about it, other gems might too. If I stay with them, I'll have to.....fight again if they're discovered once more."  
>The red Pearl held down a piece of metal for the Peridot to her right as she continued to think. "How do I proceed? With staying with them being too dangerous to them and to me, what do I do from here? Should I.....stay with them and jump ship somewhere? Make a life on a planet somewhere? But I'd be stranded if I did that, I'd have to hide in the dark corners of a colony, in fear of being found. I don't want to be stuck with no chance of escape if things go bad again......." She turned her attention to the Peridot who was standing by herself in the lab calling to her, handing the Peridot a few vials from a rack of tubes before heading back to where the other two were standing.   
>The red Pearl's thoughts turn towards something new as she idly turns a few bolts in tandem with the Peridot to her left. "If I had a ship, I could go wherever, whenever......That would be the ideal situation. Get a ship, learn to fly it and just.....explore the stars for a place to live. Somewhere I can experience new things. Somewhere I can be happy. But where could I go? More importantly, how do I get a ship and learn how to fly it? This ship is pretty large, it should hold smaller ships on it......but I don't like the thought of stealing one from them, not after m- after Red Apatite sent an attack after them. If Red Apatite does come her though.....getting to where the smaller vessels are kept might be my best chance to escape. Should I ask someone where the smaller ships are? Would that be too suspicious?"  
>The red Pearl lets out a sigh, making the three Peridots in the room look at her in concern for a moment. The one to her left, a Peridot with her gem at her throat, the point opposite of the broadest side of the gem pointing towards her head, wearing a sleeveless uniform, spoke up. "You seem troubled by something. Do you need to talk about it?"  
>The red Pearl froze for a moment. "I can't tell her everything I'm thinking, she'd alert the rest of the ship. But she knows something is up, I have to say something." she decided to settle on the truly important thing, the stuff about her old master. Her voice shook a little as she spoke. It.....it's about my, about Red A-apatite. I don't k-know if the soldiers can take her, the Agates, and the Emeralds on in a fight. I'm w-worried about what'll happen if......if Red Apatite beats the soldiers that were on this ship."   
>The throat gem Peridot nods in understanding. "I'm certain that thought is running through all our minds right now. Part of me wishes I had gone with them, but I'm a Peridot. I wasn't made for fighting. We had the upper hand here, with your advanced warning to the crew, but around Red Apatite's own ship? She has the upper hand there. We'd only be in the way."  
>"Yeah.....b-but that's not all th-that's on my mind. I'm thinking a-about.....what to do if she does show up here. W-we wouldn't stand a chance a-against her in a fight." The red Pearl did her best to steady her emotions as she spoke, and vented out some of her concerns. "What would you three do, if she came aboard? Where would you go? Where would you try to hide?"  
>The three Peridots had all stopped working now. The one with a gem in her right eye spoke in a whispered tone. "She's got a point.....what do we do if we're boarded?" The last one, a Peridot with a gem at her naval, spoke next. "We have some blasters in our limb enhancers, so we fight?"   
>The Peridot with the throat gem spoke up. "Fighting won't do us much good if she's managed to enlist the help of other Apatites. We'd be better off escaping if she shows up. The ship has a few Roaming Eyes and other vessels onboard, we could make use of those."  
>"Right, the ships! Good thinking!" "Good idea, there's plenty of ships to use if we can get to them." the other two Peridots spoke up. Meanwhile, the red Pearl smiled at the confirmation of other vessels being aboard. "So there are ships here, and the Peridots know where they are." she spoke up. "I hope we don't have to use them, but if we need to escape, I'll be counting on you three to lead the way, okay? I.....I can be useful wherever we ended up, if it comes to that."  
>"I have faith they'll be back successful, but it doesn't hurt to have a plan for if things go wrong. That's all that was bothering you, Pearl?" the Peridot with the throat gem spoke again.  
>The red Pearl smiled and nodded. "It was the biggest thing. The other things.....aren't something you guys can help with. I'm.....worried about how your Apatite, Yellow Apatite, will react to me." It wasn't quite the truth, but it was something she had to consider. "I...did belong to Red Apatite. What if.....your Apatite reacts poorly to my presence? I.....I'm hoping my.....early warning is enough to persuade her I'm not connected with Red Apatite anymore, but......"  
>All three Peridots place comforting hands on the red Pearl's shoulders. "It's okay, when she hears how much you helped, she's sure to like you!" "I'm sure she'll be happy to let you stay with us." the eye and naval Peridots spoke, followed by words from the throat Peridot. "You did what you could for us and the crew, and we all appreciate it. I'm certain Yellow Apatite will be thankful too."  
>The red Pearl let out another sigh. "I wish I had arrived sooner. I really did intend on warning her before she left the ship but.......I got chased by some of Red Apatite's other crew, and got lost in the vents of this station." She let out a little chuckle. "Never go into those vents if you can help it, they're cramped and filthy! I could barely stand it in there."  
>The throat Peridot raised an eyebrow and looked at the red Pearl in confusion. "The old maintenance vents? I thought they had those sealed up already. If you used them, you must have gone to a section they hadn't sealed yet......or some gems have been slacking on the job."  
>Hearing the vents were suppose to be shut and sealed sent a shiver through the red Pearl's form. "Whatever the reason, I'm thankful they were available! It made getting to you all undetected a little easier. Thanks for the talk, it's set my mind at ease a little."  
>"Enough of a break. Let's get back to what we're suppose to be doing." the throat Peridot spoke up. "Your assistance on this is appreciated on this Pearl. You know your way around the laboratory pretty well."  
>"I.....used to help Red Apatite's Peridots, before things started getting.....tenser on the ship. I don't want to talk about it. I'm happy to be.....helping someone again." Memories of the shards landing on the floor, the mix of red, green, purple, and orange flashed through her mind. She still remembered the gems that had fallen that day, for fusing. Remembered how she had made them smile and laugh, how she had helped the broken Peridot and others with their projects. She really did miss the feeling of being useful to others, missed working with her hands like she was now.   
>The three Peridots nodded in understanding, before they resumed their tasks. The Peridots and the red Pearl continued to work in the laboratory, on repairing gem technology and trying to upgrade a few pieces, doing whatever they could to stay on task and keep their minds off of the uncertainty that hung in the air about their fates.   
>After three hours, their uncertainty would be broken. A loud shout echoed through the ship, the sounds of happy soldiers calling out. "We're BACK!" "We did it!" "We're safe now!" and other such cries of victory.   
>The Peridots and the red Pearl all rushed out of the laboratory and into the ship's main hall. The Peridots all hugged on the soldiers, embracing Topazes, Amethysts, and Rubies alike, smiling and laughing with each other. The laughter and smiles were cut short however, as Yellow Agate, Emerald, and Yellow Apatite's Pearl came into view. In Yellow Agate's hands, a yellow bubble with a triange gem was gently grasped. In the Emerald's hands, a larger green bubble full of other Emeralds and Agates rested. In the hands of Yellow Apatite's Pearl, rested a lone triangular yellow gem, the Pearl stroking the gem gently with her fingers and tears rolling down her cheeks.   
>The red Pearl and the Peridots stared at the sight of the poofed Apatites in disbelief. It was the red Pearl that spoke up first. "What......what happened? Why.....why did you bring Red Apatite's gem here?"  
>The Yellow Agate let out a sigh. "It's not my place to pass judgement on a gem higher than myself while Yellow Apatite is still intact. Until Yellow Apatite reforms, we must keep the aggressor gemstones contained. As for what happened.....we'll make sure everyone is gathered up that's still has a form, and we'll tell you the tale, all at once. The rest of you, make sure everyone is gathered here, while we go stash the Agates, Emeralds, and Red Apatite with the other gems!"  
>The crowd scrambled aside, allowing the Agate and the Emerald to pass through, bubbles in tow. Only the yellow Pearl remained, holding on to her master's gem and still crying. The red Pearl looked at her with sympathy before making her way over to her fellow Pearl and resting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey.....it'll be okay. It's over now. She'll be back before you know it."  
>"Th-thank you......it was so......frightening."  
>"Do you need to talk about it, Pearl to Pearl?"  
>"L-later, perhaps. You deserve to hear what happened, from the perspective of the soldiers. Then......then I'll tell you my part of it."  
>"Okay. It'll be okay though. The worst is behind us." the red Pearl smiled as she removed her hand from her fellow Pearl's shoulder. All that was left now was for them to wait for the Yellow Agate and the Emerald to return, to hear the story of how the battle had gone down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the end, I decided to keep the focus in Comfy Pearl's point of view, but the rescue attempt and what happened to poof Yellow Apatite will be told. How Yellow Apatite poofs is going to be the hardest thing to write in this story for me.


	9. Story of the rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Agate and other gems tell the tale of how they saved Yellow Apatite from Red Apatite.

>It didn't take Yellow Agate and the Emerald long to stash the gems under Red Apatite's command away, nor did it take long to gather the Peridots that hadn't been present for the return of the soldiers, and the few Topazes that were left behind to guard the gems who were encased in ice from the red Pearl's spatula attacks.   
>The red Pearl looked around as gems started to sort themselves out within the large hall of the ship once more. Her fellow Pearl had wandered off somewhere, Yellow Apatite's gem still in her hands as she left. The red Pearl had spotted her across the hall now, holding hands with a strange looking being, humanoid like a gem, but in a strange style of garment she had never seen before, a shirt that was a rainbow of colors swirled together into a pattern, while the pants on the being were dark grey and stretched down to its feet and its white boots. She couldn't help but notice the being had a sad look on its face, and was now holding Yellow Apatite's gem in its hand, rubbing his thumb along the surface. "I wonder if that's the organic that Hematite told m- told Red Apatite about? Such a strange color palate and body structure." The red Pearl thought to herself as her eyes lingered on the strange being and her fellow Pearl next to it, before moving on to continue looking around the room while she waited.   
>The red Pearl didn't have to wait too much longer. The murmuring among the crowd fell silent as Emerald and Yellow Agate arrived back in the hall. Yellow Agate cleared her throat and spoke out, causing the crowd of gems to turn and face her. "Your attention please! I'm sure the Peridots onboard wish to know how we saved our Apatite and captured the rest of her crew! Step forward, our Apatite's Pearl! Come forward, a few Rubies, Topazes, and Amethysts!"   
>The red Pearl turned towards where she had seen her fellow Pearl standing, looking as she released the strange being's hand and patted it on the back before leaving its side, yet she had left Yellow Apatite's gem in its care. "She must trust whatever that is a lot, to leave her master's gem with it." the red Pearl thought to herself as she followed her fellow Pearl's path towards the front of the group. A few murmurs were coming from all around the crowd, stopping as two Rubies, two Amethysts, and two Topazes started making their way to where the Agate and Emerald were standing as well.  
>With the nine gems gathered at the front of the crowd, the Yellow Agate cleared her throat. "As you all know, we had to fight off the forces of Red Apatite here, right next to our very own ship, to ensure we wouldn't be broken, and we were victorious! But, our Apatite was still in peril, we had to save her! After a brief talk, we took the Rubies, Amethysts, and Topazes that weren't poofed and weren't assigned to guard things in the ship with us, as well as a brave Peridot and our Apatite's Pearl, who insisted on being directly involved in her master's rescue. What a brave and loyal Pearl she is!"   
>A brief round of claps came from the crowd, the red Pearl clapping her own hands together with enthusiasm. The sound of the applause brought a blue blush to the yellow Pearl's face. Yellow Agate cut them off with her voice after a few moments. "Yes! We were ready to go save our Apatite, no matter what it took! We rushed through the halls of the station as swiftly as we could, making our way together towards where we knew Red Apatite's ship rested!"  
>"When we got there, we noticed the two Red Agates guarding the ship's entry ramp carefully, looking ever vigilant! We knew we had to take them out quickly, or they'd alert the rest of the ship to our presence! The brave Peridot who accompanied us made a suggestion, that we use some of our ranged attacks on the Agates, to take them out swiftly. We would have to choose two specific gems to do this, or risk projectiles colliding or creating too much noise."  
>"After a brief deliberation, a Ruby and a Topaz, both wielding bow weapons, were selected to take the shots. From within the halls of the space station, they summoned their bows, took careful aim, and let loose their arrows! The shots connected, surprising both Red Agates for a moment before they dropped their forms in puffs of smoke! With the primary guards out of the way, we were free to enter the ship!"   
>Yellow Agate smiled as she stepped aside, allowing the Emerald to step forward. "Emerald here will fill you in on the next part, it was her idea and her plan we followed."   
>"Thank you my Agate." The young Emerald flashed a smile as she stepped forward. "Hi there! So as Agate here was saying, once we were inside, we knew we needed to take the rest of the crew out and get to Red Apatite and our Apatite as fast as we could! We were talking about it just incise the entrance, when I came up with a brilliant plan! Two of our three gem types matched the crew of Red Apatite's ship, we could use that to our advantage! I suggested breaking off into four groups to spread through the ship. Half the Rubies and Amethysts would go down one of the main halls, intentionally looking for the Agates and Emeralds on board to take them out quickly, under the guise of member of Red Apatite's crew! Quite genius if I say so myself!"   
>"Meanwhile, me, Agate, Pearl, the Peridot, and the Topazes would go to the ship's upper levels and split up to search for Red Apatite herself, and any gems that were on the higher levels. Once we were up a level, I took the Peridot and half the Topazes with me, while Agate and Pearl went the other way with the other half of the Topazes. My group moved as fast as we could through the ship's upper levels, looking in every room we came across. We encountered a few gems in our search, two Red Agates, three of my fellow Emeralds, and a Hematite."   
>"My fellow Emeralds didn't put up much of a fight, they knew that us being there meant the soldiers had failed. They almost seemed......happy that we had come to the ship, volunteering to be dissipated if I did it myself. I hated doing it, but I guess they wanted to keep up appearances just in case."  
>"Now, the Agates and the Hematite, they put up fights!" The Emerald looked over at Yellow Agate with a hint of nervousness on her face. "No offense my Agate, but your Red Agate counterparts weren't the best fighters. One had a sword, the other an axe, and they just.....rushed at us together. We outnumbered them four to one, and they decided to rush us! It didn't take much effort to surround and overwhelm them, a few parried blows between me and the sword wielder, and a shield wielding Topaz absorbed blows from the axe wielding Agate, while the other six Topazes pulled their weapons and started attacking."  
>"Props go out to the Peridot too! The Hematite had heard the fighting from a room over, and came to ambush us from behind with her little daggers, but the Peridot noticed her approach and met her head on with her limb enhancer blaster and beam! She saved a few of us from dissipation and maybe even cracks!"  
>Emerald looked back towards the Rubies, Topazes, and Amethysts. "It's you guy's turn, come on!" she spoke enthusiastically, motioning for them to come forward, The group of soldiers stepped up, a Ruby speaking out. "We should go first, right Amethysts and fellow Ruby? Lower levels before the Topazes tell more of what went on in the upper levels?"  
>"Sure, that's fine." one of the Topazes nodded with a smile on her face and relief in her voice, the other nodding along happily shortly after. Neither of them were looking forward to telling their parts, and were glad for the extra delay.   
>The Ruby cleared her throat, smiling as she motioned to her fellow Ruby to step up. As the other Ruby stepped up next to her, the first Ruby began speaking. "So! As our Agate said, we Rubies and the Amethysts split up to comb the lower floors. posing as members of Red Apatite's crew. We Rubies went strait for the cargo hold, to take care of any gems that might be slacking off in there, or taking inventory. There was seven Peridots down there, accompanied by two Red Agates and an Emerald. It was pretty easy going, we were able to walk right in, none of them gave a second thought to us six Rubies! We were able to get two of us flanking the Agates and the Emerald, then we struck! Weapons drawn quickly, we thrust them into the unsuspecting Agates and Emerald, poofing them quickly and causing a panic in the Peridots. It was all too easy to pick the panicking technicians off once their supervisors were dealt with."  
>The other Ruby cleared her throat and spoke up. "Once we finished in the cargo hold, we went back upstairs and split up down the four paths, two of us going down each center path, while one of us went down the far left and far right. We were able to rejoin the Amethysts and aid them in rounding up the rest of the crew onboard. But, they should tell you the specifics there!"  
>The Rubies looked back to the Amethysts, who both swallowed hard before they stepped forward. One of the Amethysts spoke up nervously. "S-so, as the Rubies said, we split up. While they went to the cargo hold, me and the other seven Amethysts split into pairs and went down the hallways. Me and the Amethyst next to me were together, so we can't tell you what happened in the other halls. But, the hall we went down went smoothly! The Emerald we encountered dismissed our presence until it was too late, and the Peridots onboard weren't much trouble to take out. The addition of the Ruby joining us didn't make too much of a difference, but we soon found ourselves uniting with the other groups where the four halls reconvened together. From the smiles on their faces and the gems in their hands, we assume they didn't have any problems either."   
>"That just leaves the Topazes and the rest of the upper floors now." The other Amethyst spoke up, looking back at the two Topazes expectantly. The Topazes stepped forward,   
>One of the Topazes spoke up. "S-sorry, I was with Emerald's group, and have n-nothing new to say." She gave a sympathetic look to her fellow Topaz. "You'll have to tell your part alone. I'll be right here for support though."  
>"Th-thanks Topaz....." The other Topaz stepped forward, the first one taking a few steps back but staying nearby. "S-so! While six Topazes went with the Peridot and Emerald, we other six went with Yellow Agate and our Apatite's Pearl down the other path. Our path split into three different directions though.....in the end, I went down the left path with another Topaz, two other Topazes went to the right, and the last two followed Agate and the Pearl down the center path. It was pretty scary, going through the ship with just one other gem with me, but fortunately there wasn't much up there, only a few Peridots. We were able to take them out pretty fast."  
>Yellow Agate stepped forward once more. "Thank you Topazes, I'll finish things up." The Topaz let out a sigh of relief as she and the other Topaz took a few hurried steps back. This time, Yellow Apatite's Pearl stepped up with the Agate, and the Agate started speaking again. "I had no idea at the time, but the center hall was the one we needed to take to get to Red Apatite's personal chambers. I was taken by surprise when I saw the door, styled fancier than the others on the ship, and even more surprised as I heard a muffled voice coming from within. I couldn't make out what was being said, but I knew Red Apatite had to be inside!"  
>"Me and the gems with me all knew if we tried to call out for extra assistance, or tried hurrying away from the door, that it could alert Red Apatite to our presence, and put our Apatite at risk! We had to try and take her own, just the four of us, and hope our Apatite was in a condition where she could assist us."  
>The Agate paused a moment before she continued. "I motioned to Pearl to unlock the door, as it was sealed with a code I'm unfamiliar with. She paused for a moment, studying it. Pearl, why was that anyways?"  
>"I......didn't want to make a mistake, in case it sent a warning to Red Apatite if I messed up. I didn't want my master hurt because of my error. Forgive me." the yellow Pearl whispered out meekly.  
>"Forgive you? You did the right thing, and you got the door open on the first input try too! With the door unlocked, we knew we had to act fast! We threw the door open, and then-"  
>"Look, she's reforming!" A strange sounding voice called out, unlike any she had ever heard before, caused the red Pearl to turn her attention away from where Yellow Agate and the others were gathered and towards the strange being she had seen with her fellow Pearl before.   
>The yellow triangular stone that was sitting in the being's hands was now floating up high in the air within the hallway,. The man smiled as he stepped back, the gems near him making space as well. A very tall silhouette took form, the gem settling in on the throat of the form before the finer details started in. Her skin was a pale yellow shade, her body covered in a flowing yellow tunic like dress, strips handing separately in front of her and behind her, coming down halfway on the portion of her leg between her knees and her feet, with dark blue trim at the bottom edges of the pieces, framing a darker yellow Diamond at the bottom. Her feet and legs were covered in tall boots, a shade darker than her dress with light blue trip at the top of the boots. Upon her arms, two long yellow sleeves sat, separated from the thick shoulder pads resting on her shoulders, the material ending at her wrists, leaving her hands and palms exposed, the edges of the sleeves past her elbows trimmed in the same blue her boots were. Upon her head sat a yellow headdress, forming two points above her head, a line of blue on the headdress framing her face perfectly.   
>With a light gasp as she finished reforming and opened her blue eyes, Yellow Apatite was back. She looked around at her surroundings. "I......I'm back? I....I'm okay?" Then she caught sight of who was standing near her and smiled as she crouched down. "Hello my love.....I hope I didn't worry you too much."   
>With tears in its eyes and a smile on its face, the strange being threw its arms around Yellow Apatite's crouching form, much to the red Pearl's surprise. All around the ship, the gems that were gathered cried out in joy. "She's back!" "Our Apatite had reformed!" "Thank the stars she's back!"   
>The red Pearl couldn't help but smile at the joy of the gems around her while thinking to herself. "They really care about each other, about their Apatite.......she must treat them well. If only......if only Red Apatite had been even half as kind as this Apatite must be."  
>The moment of joy passing, Yellow Apatite turned her attention towards Yellow Agate. "Agate, why is everyone gathered here?"  
>"Yellow Agate spoke up enthusiastically. "My Apatite, we were just informing the crew of how we rescued you from Red Apatite! Would you like to hear the story from the start?"  
>A smile crossed Yellow Apatite's face. "That sounds wonderful. I'd love to hear all about your valiant efforts. And.......I'm sure you'd all like to hear what....what Red Apatite put me through too......"  
>Yellow Agate's eyes widened for a moment. "Well.....you were pretty rough when we got to you, but.....are you sure my Apatite? You don't have to tell us if you don't want to."  
>"No.....you deserve to know what you saved me from. But first, tell me everything about how you came to Red Apatite's room in the first place!"   
>"Certainly my Agate!" Yellow Agate spoke in joy, and started to retell the whole thing.  
>The red Pearl couldn't help but let out a laugh as Yellow Agate started the story over again while thinking to herself. "I guess I have to wait for the ending. I'd walk away for this but.......I want to know how Red Apatite was taken down. I need to know who did it.....so I can thank her personally."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger ending, I know. But I want the part told by Yellow Apatite to be its own thing. You'll understand why when I post the next chapter, I hope.


	10. Yellow Apatite's ordeal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yellow Apatite tells her part of the tale of how she was rescued, and what she went through.

>The story of how the soldiers of the crew had come to Red Apatite's ship and taken out her crew was retold slowly. The gems who had stepped forward seemed more eager to tell their tales now that their Apatite was listening, gems in the crowd were throwing in bits of their own deeds too. The red Pearl couldn't help but smile as the tale was told again, at how happy they were now that their Apatite was back around them. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of longing too as she let out a light sigh. "I really do wish things had been different.....but Red Apatite was a horrible gem." she thought to herself.  
>As the story once more came around to the part where Yellow Agate, Yellow Apatite's Pearl, and the two Topazes were at Red Apatite's door. Yellow Apatite stopped them before they could continue. "Thank you for telling the story so far, Agate, Pearl, Topazes, Emerald, Amethysts, and Rubies. Now......now it's my turn to tell you all what happened, up to the point where the door was opened."  
>"When I first got the urgent message from the Red Agates telling me Red Apatite needed to see me immediately, I admit I was very curious. She's never been one to ask for a meeting unless she had no other option, and.....I let my greed blind me. We've always been competing with each other, trying to garner the most attention from our Diamond, trying to complete jobs as swiftly as possible. The thought of her owning me a favor enticed me, so I followed the Red Agates, through the halls of this station and towards the fleet of ships currently under her command."  
>"When I got there, I was surprised to see that the crews around the smaller vessels were hurrying to load up. I found it a little strange, that she'd not wait to mobilize the rest of her fleet until after our meeting was completed, but I shrugged it off. If only I had acted on my suspicions then....." Yellow Apatite shuddered, to the surprise of the Red Pearl. In all her years of being around Apatites, she had never seen one so unnerved. "For her to react like that at the mere retelling of the story......What did she do to you?" the red Pearl thought to herself as she kept looking at the Apatite before her.  
>Yellow Apatite took a deep breath to calm herself before she continued. "The Agates lead me through the ship's halls and up the central stairs into the upper levels of the ship. All the while, I saw Jaspers, Rubies, and Amethysts running around me through the ship. That should have been my second clue that something was wrong, the looks of sadness on their faces mixed with determination.....knowing what I do now, those looks make more sense."  
>"The Agates led me through the upper part of the ship right to Red Apatite's room, and then they saluted me. "Our Apatite is waiting for you inside. Please go on in.". I tried the door, finding it unlocked, and I stepped into the room."  
>"At first I was confused. The items in the room had been piled up along the far wall, creating a large empty space. Red Apatite wasn't in my line of sight. I should have run away then. Everything in my mind was telling me something was wrong, but I ignored it like a fool. I stepped past the doorway and into the wide open room, looking for another door or some sign of what I was suppose to do."  
>"That's when I felt it. A sharp stinging sensation in my back, a surging pain that quickly spread through my form. It felt like......like I was being torn apart and put back together over and over again. I....I screamed out at the pain I felt, hoping it'd be over soon, that I'd dissipate, but....I didn't. I couldn't retreat into my gemstone."  
>"Then the laughter came from behind me, so cold and mocking. I scrambled to turn to look behind me, pain shooting through my body as I moved, my eyes frantically scanning the world around me. When I caught sight of a dagger, crackling with red energy and held in a red gloved hand....."Yellow Apatite's body shuddered again. "I went rigid with fear. I knew what was going on then, but it was too late to do anything."  
>"There was a slight buzzing sound that hummed in the air, and then.....SHE came into view. Red Apatite had used a device that made her invisible to my eyes, hidden herself away in her own room and waited for me to move inside. Her laughter grew louder as more of her body came into view, first her legs, then her body and arms, then her head. Her grin......was haunting. A mix of sadistic glee and personal triumph was plastered on her red face."  
>"She taunted me when she came into full view. "You've grown soft Yellow! I had expected more of a challenge from you!""   
>"I reached for my gem, trying to summon my sword to fight......only to feel another surge of pain shoot through me. My body convulsed, and she started laughing again. "Go ahead keep TRYING to use your powers! You're saving me effort tormenting you!"  
>"I asked her what she did to me, trying to sound as bold as I could, but my voice.....it was weaker, uncertain. I knew I was at her mercy, even before she told me."  
>""You like it? My scientists have been working on this technology for some time now!" She flourished the red dagger in her hand in a mocking way. "I call it a Jammer! It's largely untested, but it's designed to disrupt a gem's form enough to keep her from using her powers. The pain you suffer when you try is a surprise to me, but it makes this so much better.""  
>"I asked her why she was doing what she was, what she wanted. Her laughter haunted me again.....she was enjoying herself way too much. "What I want? What I want is to eliminate the stain on the reputation of Homeworld!""  
>"Her words sent a chill through me. I tried to play ignorant, asking her what she meant, only to have my worst fears confirmed. "Playing Ruby are we? Let me say it directly. I KNOW what you've been doing on your ship Yellow. I know about the filthy organic you're harboring." Those words from her, her saying she knew......it was all I could take. I....I started to cry, right in front of her....I knew if she knew, that my crew, and my love, were in danger."  
>Yellow Apatite's body shook again as she took another deep breath before continuing. "She continued to talk to me in a mocking tone. "Imagine my surprise when I heard! An Apatite, in love! With an organic no less!" She used her free hand and forced me to look her in her eye and her gem. "Did you think you could hide this from Homeworld forever Yellow? What a disgrace to Homeworld! I should save the Zircons the trouble of a trial and SHATTER you myself!""  
>"She reached for my gem, fingering and pulling at it for a moment, before her hand moved back, then.....she slapped me across the face, causing me to fall backwards. "Shattering you isn't enough punishment. No, you deserve to really suffer for what you've done! My personal crew is heading to your vessel as we speak. They've been instructed to show your crew no mercy, to poof every last gem aboard your personal craft, and to bring back their gemstones and shards. I'm going to break them in front of you Yellow, one by one. Their shards will pile up in this room, one at a time as they reform, just long enough for them to feel terror about what's going to happen. You're going to hear the majority of your crew crying in pain, begging for mercy, the cracks forming on their gems, and their shards clattering to the floor!""  
>"She paused for a moment before she continued. "When your crew is shards......your organic will be brought in before you. Your going to watch as we pull its body apart, run painful experiments on it, make it cry out in pain, and for mercy if its capable of speaking. Only when your crew is shards and your beloved organic has been tormented to death, only then will you be broken. You will die knowing their suffering and shattering is all your fault!""  
>Not an eye in the room was dry as Yellow Apatite kept telling her story, every gem was crying freely, including the Red Pearl. "How.....how could she? I knew m- I knew Red Apatite was cruel but that? That's......vile." the Red Pearl thought to herself as she shuddered.   
>Yellow Apatite kept speaking. "I was shaking so much, afraid for myself, afraid for all of you, and afraid for my beloved Anon. I knew her forces between her personal ship and mine were superior, even if she held back a few gems to stand guard, it'd still be an uneven fight. I.....I'm glad you all managed to get through their assault."   
>"We had a little advance warning, my Apatite. We were able to strategize a defense plan to get us through the attack." Yellow Agate spoke up with a smile on her face.  
>"You did? How, from who?" Yellow Apatite asked in disbelief, the thought of any gem betraying Red Apatite sending her mind reeling.  
>"I'll tell you more about it later. Please, finish your story." the Agate spoke with earnest. The red Pearl let out a sigh of relief. "I know she'll be told about me soon......but with what m- what Red Apatite did to her.....I'm glad there's going to be some time between her finishing her story and me meeting her." she thought to herself.   
>Yellow Apatite continued speaking. "Red could see my fear, could see me shaking, and crying, but it wasn't enough for her......She....she started to smack me around with her hands, kick me with her feet. I went tumbling across the room again and again. Every time I tried to get up, she'd laugh for a moment before smacking me or kicking me again. Every time I tried to use my powers, I felt another surge of pain through my body, which made me convulse harder, and made her laugh more. She was actively taunting me now. "You're a disgrace! You're pathetic! You shame the names of Apatites everywhere! You're getting what you deserve! You'll finally be out of my way! I'll finally get all the recognition I deserve! Nothing of you will remain when I'm through with you!" Over and over again, she repeated those lines."  
>"I don't know how long she had been tormenting me, but....when the door to her room opened again, for a brief moment, I felt a sense of dread. I was so certain that it was going to be one of her crew, bringing her the first of the gems to be shattered. Instead, me and her were both surprised when we saw Yellow Agate, my Pearl, and the Topazes at the door."  
>"Relief and nervousness flooded through me at once, while she shouted out in surprise. "No, that's not....that's not possible! My forces should have decimated you all! Must I do everything myself?!" Her gem lit up as she put her hands up to her eye gem, her hands soon becoming covered in a pair of spiky gauntlets. A fitting weapon for her, a gem that revels in destroying things personally. I always hated seeing those gauntlets." Yellow Apatite shuddered again at the thought, before she continued."  
>"Seeing her rush towards my Pearl, one of my Agates, and two Topazes as you all rushed towards her....it was nerve wracking. As I watched her gloves parry blows from Agate's lance, the Topazes axe and sword, and saw her angle pushes to send gems colliding with my Pearl armed with destabilizers.....I knew I had to do something before someone got hurt. It hurt to stand up, to push myself to move, but I did anyways. I lunged at Red Apatite from behind as she knocked the Topazes back into Agate once more. I could feel pain shooting through my body as I tried to hold her back, as I shouted for someone to hurry up and poof her, even if it meant.....I was poofed with her."  
>"Imagine my surprise when it was my own Pearl that stepped up the fastest to do the deed." Yellow Apatite glanced at her yellow Pearl, tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to do that my Pearl......you were so brave, moving so quickly towards Red Apatite like that, and jamming the destabilizers into her."  
>"But my Apatite.......you were dissipated." tears were falling from the Yellow Pearl's face from under her blue bangs. "I.....I should have never used both. I should have found another way."  
>Yellow Apatite crouched down and placed a large hand gently on the Pearl's left shoulder. "You did what I asked you to, and you did wonderfully. If you hadn't have done what you did, she could have broken out of my weak grasp, and broken us all. A little time in my gem is worth the safety of you and my crew. Thank you Pearl."  
>A light blue blush formed on the Yellow Pearl's cheeks. "It....it's not worth your thanks. I'm glad to be of assistance to you."  
>"Well, that pretty much wraps up the tale I think!" Yellow Agate spoke out. "Now, what will you have us do with Red Apatite's crew, and Red Apatite herself?"  
>Yellow Apatite let out a sigh. "As much as I'd like to break Red's gem and be done with it......that'd make me no better than she is. I'll have to consider what actions need to be taken with her. As for her crew......they were only following orders, but we need to make sure they don't try anything to avenge their Apatite. We'll need to talk to each and every one of them individually, after we decide what to do with them. I......I'm still feeling weary from reforming. Residual effects of the Jammer Red used on me, I'm sure. I need a few days to recover. Until then, we go about our down time as normal, wait here as long as we can until we get new orders from Yellow Diamond. You may do whatever you wish with your downtime." Yellow Apatite smiled at the strange organic being close to her. "Come my love. I'd very much like to hold you close.....and get your thoughts on some matters."   
>The organic being smiled. "Of course my sweet, I'm right behind you." Yellow Apatite and the organic moved past Yellow Agate and away from the larger crowd together.   
>Yellow Agate watched her Apatite move through the halls for a moment before she turned her attention back to the rest of the crew. "You heard her, back to business as normal! Spend your downtime relaxing wisely, it won't be long until we're needed again."   
>Gems in the hallway dispersed, heading to different parts of the ship. Soon, only the Red Pearl and the Yellow Agate were left in the hall. The red Pearl cleared her throat and looked at the Agate expectantly. "What about me, my Agate? What should I do? Weren't you going to talk to your Apatite about me?"  
>Yellow Agate let out a sigh. "Just.....find someone to help or something to do. I expect her and SpaceAnon will be.....occupied for a while. I'll find you when they're done."   
>The Red Pearl wanted to ask more questions, but she hesitated. She knew she'd get her answers and her requests heard if she waited long enough, why risk pushing the issue early? "Very well. Please come find me if you require anything beforehand." she did her best salute towards the Agate, then turned away. She could find a way to kill some time while she waited for the Apatite to finish up whatever it was she was going to do with the organic. The worst of the ordeal was behind her, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was hard for me to write. I hate having to make a character suffer, but here, it was inevitable. I needed Yellow Apatite to be in a weakened state for this to work at all. Thus, the Jammer was born, an insidious device that robs a gem of her powers temporarily.


	11. A long awaited meeting.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pearl that will be known as Comfy Pearl is informed that Yellow Apatite is ready to meet with her.

>For the next three days, the Red Pearl spent her time wandering around the ship, looking for things to occupy her time while she waited for Yellow Agate to get back to her and take her to Yellow Apatite. While a lot of her time was spent assisting the Peridots with their projects, she did end up spending time with the Amethysts, Rubies, and Topazes as well. She found herself surprised with how relaxed things were on Yellow Apatite's vessel. She already knew Yellow Apatite was different from her ex master, but seeing the differences in how things went on the ship really drove the point home in her mind. She couldn't help but smile and find enjoyment in dancing and singing with some of the gems, listening to conversations, and even in the menial tasks she volunteered to do with the Peridots. It reminded her of the days on Red Apatite's ship, before thing shifted so dramatically.   
>When Yellow Agate finally came for the Red Pearl, she was in the hallways, wandering around once more. The Agate had approached her with a smile on her face. "Ah, there you are! I'm pleased to announce that my Apatite is ready to receive you now. Are you ready to see her?"  
>"More than you could imagine." the Red Pearl replied with a smile of her own.   
>"Very well, this way." The Agate responded with a nod, then turned around and started walking. Casually, the Red Pearl followed behind her, a mix of excitement and nervousness mixing in her guts. "This is it. This is the moment that will decide how my future plays out." she thought to herself as she walked. "I wonder how she'll react when she sees it's me? Will it matter in the end? I should be prepared to run, just in case.....in case seeing me brings up bad memories and I need to run."  
>The pair proceeded through the ship, traversing the halls and entering an elevator that took them up a few floors, before they started walking through the ship once more. Soon, they arrived at a room at the end of a hall. Unlike the plain grey doors that had been present through the rest of the ship, this one was yellow in hue, and decorated with patterns upon it that formed a pattern resembling flowers in a field. Not that the Red Pearl could have made that connection herself, to her the etchings looked like random lines with little purpose, but who was she to question the decorating tastes of an elite gem?  
>Yellow Agate opened the door and stepped aside. "She's waiting for you. She's instructed me to stay out here so you two can be alone. Don't keep her waiting."  
>The Red Pearl swallowed hard before nodding. Her body shook as she walked into the room, her eyes glancing around at the yellow walls before they landed on the central piece. Within the large room sat a yellow rectangular structure, with strange smaller yellow rectangles at one end of it and thin pieces of material draped over it. Sitting on the structure and creating an indention under her was the leader of the ship herself, Yellow Apatite.   
>The door slid closed behind the Red Pearl as she took the sight of the other Apatite in. She had seen her before, in more formal settings, acting so rigid and strict, like other Apatites did. Here however, she couldn't help but notice the Apatite before her seemed more relaxed than any other she had seen. Most notable was the absence of the Apatite's headdress, a signature outfit part of the gem cast. The lack of headdress was allowing Yellow Apatite's long blue hair to flow freely, running behind her head and down her back, coming to an end at her waist.   
>Yellow Apatite looked over towards the door and the Pearl, her eyes widening for a moment before her face settled into a smile. "I was told a familiar gem would be coming to see me and that she'd be the one that warned my crew ahead of time.....but I wasn't expecting it to be you. I can see why Agate didn't tell me directly......I wouldn't have believed her if she had told me. Seeing you before me.....it's still hard to believe. But, why did you do it? Why did you betray the gem you were made for, and warn us?"  
>"Well you see m-." The Red Pearl stopped there as a thought occurred to her. She did her best salute as she spoke in a shaky voice. "F-forgive me, but....how should I address you? I am.....unsure of if you'd want to be referred to as, well......"  
>Yellow Apatite looked at her in confusion for a moment before it hit her. "Oh. Oh! You're right, hearing you call me "my Apatite" would be awkward, wouldn't it? You may address me as Apatite for now, no need for formalities here."  
>The Red Pearl nodded in understanding. "Very well, Apatite it is. To answer your inquiry, my betrayal of Red Apatite and my aid of you were driven by the same event. When my former master learned of your crew's activities, and about how it was my fellow Pearl that started them.....she became paranoid. She was going to dispose of me, just to keep herself safe. Thousands of years of loyal service to her and the crew meant nothing to her.......I....I knew that I had to get away. I.....I've seen her shatter gems before too. I couldn't......I couldn't stand by and do nothing, knowing she was going to b-break a fellow Pearl, and other gems. I couldn't stand the thought of her ruining the happiness of gems again."  
>Yellow Apatite rose an eyebrow at that. "Again? She's ruined the happiness of others before?"  
>The Red Pearl nodded. "Yes. Her crew used to be much like yours is, they'd perform their duties, then spend time in recreational activities. They laughed, played, danced, sang, built things for themselves......and even fused with each other, in some cases. I was so happy, going from gem to gem and performing the tasks the crew asked of me, as my former maser had instructed me to. When......when she discovered the fusions were happening......she shattered most of the gems that had fused in front of the rest of the crew. After that.......people asked me for things less and less, eventually stopping entirely. They became completely involved in performing only their duties that were asked of them."  
>The Red Pearl sniffled thinking about it, before wiping away her tears and looking back at Yellow Apatite. "Forgive me, it's.....these last few days have reminded me so much of the fun I had with Red Apatite's crew before things changed. Seeing how your crew behaves, seeing them happy......I know for sure I made the right choice coming here to warn you all. You're a better Apatite than my ex master ever was or will be."  
>A smile crossed Yellow Apatite's face at the Pearl's words. "You've answered my question and I understand your motives better. Thank you Pearl, for your warning. Were it not for you, my crew and I may have met a terrible fate." Yellow Apatite took a breath before she continued. "I've been trying to think of a suitable reward for the gem that saved us. Hearing your story, something has come to mind. How would you like to be part of my crew, little Pearl? You could do whatever you desired, spend time with whatever gems you wanted."  
>The Red Pearl let out a gasp, her mind reeled at what she was being offered. A part of her wanted to take the offer desperately, wanted to fall back into what she used to have, wanted to resume what she had been doing the last few days. But a larger part of her mind spoke to her of all the risks, not just to herself, but to the other gems as well. Hesitantly, she spoke up. "Apatite, your offer is tempting, and wonderful. I must admit, it does sound nice, to once more make gems smile.......but........"  
>Yellow Apatite looked at her in confusion. "But what? What is it?"  
>The Red Pearl took a deep breath and steeled herself before she spoke again. "If I stay here.......I'm putting your crew at a larger risk than you already are in. If......if I'm spotted on board by someone not in your crew, or spotted at all while Red Apatite is......gone.......they're going to know you all had a hand in her disappearance. Because I know you can't just let her free to resume normal duties, it'd be too risky to you all. For my sake and for your own, I can't stay aboard this ship with you all, no matter how much I want to."  
>Yellow Apatite let out a sigh before she nodded. "As much as I hate to say it, you're right.......we're already at risk as it is harboring our organic friend. Adding you to that would compound the risks. But, you deserve some sort of reward."  
>An idea came to Yellow Apatite after a moment of contemplating. "I know the perfect thing. You need a way to avoid being seen by other gems and to get away from the crew, and you deserve something useful for warning us and aiding in a fight. For your service, I shall grant you one of the smaller ships my personal vessel is carrying. You can use it to fly away from gem controlled space, to a place you can set up your own life."  
>The Red Pearl's eyes widened at Yellow Apatite's statement. "A.....a ship? You're really okay with giving me a ship? It's......it's too much! I, I don't even know how to fly one! Are.......are you certain you want to give me something so grand?"   
>Yellow Apatite couldn't help but laugh. "A grand reward for a grand act of bravery that saved the lives of my crew and my beloved. I'm certain this is what I want to give you......if you'll accept it."  
>"I......I don't know what to say. Th-thank you......thank you so much. This is.....beyond anything I had hoped for."  
>"Don't worry about not knowing how to fly a ship. I'll have my best Peridot pilot teach you how to, and once you're comfortable with the controls, you may fly off any time you wish. I do hope you'll tell me before you leave, so I can give you a proper send off."  
>"O-of course I will m.....I will Apatite, I promise. Is there.....anything else you want to talk about with me?"  
>Yellow Apatite shook her head. "Nothing more but to say thank you again. Is there anything you wanted to talk to me about however?"  
>The Red Pearl thought for a moment before responding. "Red Apatite's crew........I don't care what you do to my ex master herself, but her crew.......they are good gems. Please, whatever you do to Red Apatite......don't do the same thing to them."  
>Yellow Apatite hummed for a moment before she nodded. "I can't promise that all of them won't meet her fate, but I will give them a choice, I promise. I plan on exiling Red Apatite and my traitorous Grey Agate on a barren world with no technology to work with. It will be her crew's choice on if they want to join her or not."  
>A smile crossed the Red Pearl's face. "Thank you Agate. Something tells me none of them will be going with her. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."  
>"I'll contact the Peridot pilot shortly, you'll be hearing from her soon. Until then, enjoy yourself, please. And thank you again, for what you've done."   
>"You're welcome." the Red Pearl smiled and took a little bow, then left the room of Yellow Apatite. Once she was in the halls, she jumped up in joy and dashed through the halls in excitement when she was sure nobody was around her to see it. "That went a lot better than I could have hoped for! She really is a good Apatite, a worthy captain and commander of her gems. I'm glad I was able to help save her and her crew from my former master." she thought to herself as she kept moving. She had time to kill while she waited for Yellow Apatite to contact the pilot Peridot and for the Peridot to find her. She was determined to make the most of it, and was excited about flying the ship she was soon to receive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're moving into the last phases of this origin story. There's only a few more points I need to cover now. I hope you guys can enjoy this story, and how it concludes.


	12. Viewing her new ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The red Pearl that will be Comfy Pearl kills some time while she's waiting for a Peridot to teach her how to fly a ship. But when the Peridot comes for her and leads her to the ship itself, how will things go?

>The Red Pearl figured staying near the Peridots would be the easiest way for the pilot Peridot to find her when she received the assignment from Yellow Apatite, so once she was done running and jumping from her excitement, she went right to the labs to see what she could do while she waited. The three Peridots she checked in on first were more than happy to have another set of hands around to pass them the materials they needed or to help hold something steady during wielding and fastening.   
>While the Red Pearl and the Peridots worked, the Peridots wound up talking in between their orders. She had started to notice that the gems under the command of Yellow Apatite all spoke about the same thing when they were idly talking. They would talk about the organic being, known as Spaceanon, and about where he came from. The more she heard the gems talk about him and his world, the more she found herself thinking about it. The things she was hearing about, flowers, animals, weather, and the so called "Humans" that the organic was, they all began to hold her imagination and curiosity. "It all sounds like a dream land." she thought to herself as she assisted the Peridots. "A place where you can choose your own world. A world full of new things to discover and try. Would Earth be welcoming of me if I went there? Could Yellow Apatite's crew really live in harmony with the humans like they think they could? Maybe......maybe when I learn how to pilot a ship, I should go there and see for myself."  
>When the pilot Peridot came to retrieve the Pearl, it was at the tail end of one of the Peridots wielding something together. "You there, Pearl. My Apatite has informed me that you are to be instructed on how to pilot a personal vessel. Proceed with me at once."   
>The Red Pearl looked up at her while holding the last metal panel in place and nodded. "As soon as this Peridot gets this panel fastened on, we can go." The Peridot she was assisting spoke up. "Hold your stardust a little longer 7PL, I'm almost finished here. Her assistance has increased our productivity and been a huge asset to us here!"  
>The pilot Peridot sighed but stayed put. "Very well, but do hurry 2WR. Sooner I get started the sooner I finish and can get back at the helm. I don't like leaving 9CC in charge. You know how distracted she gets sometimes."  
>"Aaaaaaand finished!" The Peridot wielding smiled as she grabbed a hold of the metal sphere in her hands. "Thanks for your assistance Pearl. It'll be a shame to lose your assistance. You sure you don't want to stick around."  
>The Red Pearl smiled and nodded. "I'm sure, but I did enjoy helping out again. Good luck with your projects you three." she waved at the Peridots before leaving, the Peridots waving back before returning to their tasks. With that out of the way, she followed the Peridot that had come to retrieve her through the ship.   
>The pair soon arrived at the elevator, taking it down to the lower parts of the ship, a section the Pearl hadn't been to before. The air within the lower level was more stagnant, and stuffier. All around them, boxes were piled up and pushed up against the walls, restricting the path ahead of the pair into a narrow walkway. The Peridot looked at the Pearl and sighed. "Sorry about all this, we've got an excess of gear right now due to a canceled delivery mission. Mind yourself and proceed carefully as we move through here and towards our destination."  
>The Red Pearl nodded. "It's okay, I remember something similar happening to.....well, I've had first hand experience seeing what happens when the Diamonds change their minds or something has to be abandoned. I'll be careful."  
>The pair proceeded to maneuver through the storage area, through the tall stacks of containers until they arrived at a place that opened up in front of a larger set of doors. Casually, the Peridot ran her fingers along the control panel near the doors in a series of patterns. The panel sat unchanging for a moment before it beeped and turned green, the doors sliding open shortly after.   
>The pair stepped into the larger and more open room as soon as the doors finished sliding open. The Pearl looked around the room, her eyes scanning each ship that rested within. All the ships were small compared to the size of the vessel they were housed in, but there was still a noticeable difference in size between the vessels present. Some were easily five times the size of a gem in height, intended to be operated by four or more gems as more intense space fighters, while others were barely bigger than a Amethyst's natural height, intended to be used for scouting missions and short trips through space.   
>"Your ship is this way." The Peridot spoke as she started walking through the rows of vessels. "My Apatite has seen fit to grant you a vessel equipped with a gravity engine. It'll be capable of warping through space with ease, and should be easy to maneuver. It was due to be decommissioned and sent in for scrap, however my Apatite will report it as being destroyed on a mission shortly after we get back into space."  
>The Red Pearl spoke up. "If it's due for decommissioning, will it be safe to fly?"  
>"Of course it will be, silly Pearl! My Apatite is informing a group of Peridots about the status of the ship as we speak. It'll be repaired and completely safe in a few days. There's no need to delay showing you how everything works however, that shouldn't change during the repair process."  
>The Red Pearl let out a sigh of relief. "As long as it's safe and I can fly it, I'm happy."   
>The pair kept walking for a few more minutes before the Peridot stopped short and gestured towards a ship. "Here we are, your personal vessel! Isn't my Apatite so generous?"  
>The Red Pearl looked upon the vessel in wonder. It was a decent sized ship, light yellow in hue and easily three times her height at its tallest section. The ship itself was shaped similarly to a Peridot's gem, wide at the back and coming to a point at the front. At the tip of the point and lining the sides facing forward, she was able to see several smaller blasters fixated on the front of the ship, with a slight bit of aim ability up and down, with the main cannon up front being movable in a more circular nature. She surmised the smaller cannons along the front of the ship were for larger targets or for spread shotting into a group of vessels. "I've never seen a ship like this before. What's it called?"  
>"This vessel was part of an experimental series of fighters, dubbed the Golden Spears. However, most of the line were shot down in battles, or retired at our weaponry technology advanced. This is the last of its kind that we know of. It's seen many missions under the service of Yellow Apatite, the thought of retiring it was weighing on her mind. Perhaps this is her way of thanking this ship for all it's done, as well as thanking you? Whatever the case, it will be yours to do with as you see fit. Come, let me show you how it works."  
>The Peridot proceeded to show the Red Pearl the ins and outs of the ship. The commands she'd need to maneuver it, to aim the cannons, to activate the warp, to fire the cannons if she needed to, emergency shutdown sequences, and the best commands to use while landing it to ensure safety. She committed everything to memory, repeating it back to the Peridot as she was prompted to do so.   
>When the last thing was explained to her, the Peridot looked towards the Pearl expectantly. "So, what do you think? Think you can handle this vessel?"  
>The Red Pearl nodded in response. "Yes, I think I can handle it. I'll find out for sure when I get into the pilot's seat. I'll have to thank Yellow Apatite before I leave, this is more than I was hoping for, and I did say I'd tell her before I left. Thank you for showing me how to operate this ship Peridot."  
>The Peridot looked at the Pearl in surprise. "N-no need to thank me, it was no trouble, and my Apatite did order me to do it. You picked up on everything quickly, it was pretty easy to teach you."  
>"When the littlest mistake can get you broken or reset back to default, one tends to learn how to.....well, learn things quickly." The Red Pearl responded.   
>"Hahaha, that's a fair point! Well, you're free to go back to doing whatever you want while you wait for this vessel to be repaired and checked. I'm sure my Apatite will send someone to you when the ship is confirmed to be as safe as it can be."  
>"I look forward to it." The Red Pearl responded. With that, the pair made their way out of the ship's landing bay, back through storage, and back into the upper levels of the ship. The Pearl was more excited than ever after seeing the ship that would be hers. She was so close to having true freedom now, and she had a good idea of where she wanted to go. "Earth......it really does sound wonderful. I look forward to seeing for myself if the things these gems have talked about and been told are true or not."


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pearl that will be Comfy Pearl passes time on the ship while she's waiting for the ship she will be given to be repaired. But when an announcement chimes out through the ships, what will she see when she acts on the announcement?

>As soon as the Peridot that had lead the Red Pearl down to the storage bay for the ship's assortment of smaller space vessels left her alone in the halls once more, the temptation to go back down there and help out whichever Peridots showed up to repair the ship that would be hers was great. She had never assisted in the repairs of a ship before, her curiosity of how it went was great. After a moment of consideration however, she pushed the temptation aside. "I want to see how ship repairs work, but I don't want to get in the way too much. The sooner I get off this ship, the less likely it is I'll be caught and sent to the Reef to be reset, whether it be by a gem seeing me somewhere I shouldn't be, or if someone else comes after Yellow Apatite's crew and their human friend. They need to focus, I'd slow them down."  
>With that thought in her mind, the Red Pearl proceeded to resume what she had been doing, wandering around through the ship, assisting gems when they asked for it, entertaining them through song and dance, and listening to Yellow Apatite's crew talk about Earth more often. One time she even caught a brief tale from the human himself, about how Earth had various different environments on its surface, and about how varied life was there.  
>"So.....a lot of, you called them animals? A lot of different creatures exist on the planet, and it's okay? They don't get in each other's way, or hurt.....you said you were a human?" The Red Pearl asked at the end of his story.   
>Spaceanon smiled "Well, the animals don't always get along, and sometimes humans do get hurt, but they all form a balance with each other, and we humans are able to deal with the more dangerous ones as we need to. Most of the time, the animals are no problem at all."  
>"It all sounds so......fascinating. I've heard so many things about Earth, the more I hear, the more....I want to see it for myself."  
>"Oh, totally! Even if you don't stay there, just seeing it for yourself would be a wonderful experience!" Spaceanon spoke in excitement, before his face fell for a bit. "I.....I miss it a lot sometimes. Don't get me wrong, Apatite and her crew are amazing, living with them has been a once in a lifetime adventure, but.....Earth is my home, the planet I came from. I want to see it again. I want to show Apatite and the others what it's like first hand." a smile returned to his face as he finished speaking.   
>The Red Pearl looked at him in confusion for a moment. Such strong feelings of joy and excitement about where you were created were an unfamiliar concept to her. To her, the Reef was a place of terror. Going back to it would have meant her ex master was unhappy with her looks at best, and that she was broken at worst. It was a place all Pearls strove to avoid as much as they could. Still, the way he talked about the Earth, she could tell it meant so much to him. "I.....I hope you can see it again someday. I hope you can show them around Earth like you want."  
>"I hope so too. Thank you......and thanks again for helping save Apatite and her crew. They all mean a lot to me too, and from what I've heard about gems, it must have been hard for you to do what you did."   
>A dark red blush formed on the Pearl's face. She still wasn't used to being thanked by anyone for her actions, it left her flustered. "It....it really wasn't anything special. I...I was looking out for myself more than anything else...."  
>"Still, you helped so much. I hope someday, I can express my gratitude properly. I hope you make good use of the ship Apatite is preparing for you.....and I hope you'll go see Earth for yourself."  
>The Red Pearl nodded. "I'll.....think about it some more." She didn't want to tell him that she intended on going to Earth herself. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him and the crew, quite the reverse. She wanted to let them know they had inspired her to take a trip to the planet they talked about. But in the back of her mind, her paranoia stopped her from doing so. "No, if I tell them and they're caught, there's a chance they might talk about me and where I went. Better to let them think I'm going off into the unknown."   
\-------  
>Two days had passed since the Red Pearl had seen her ship. An announcement went out through the ship, with Yellow Apatite herself speaking. "Attention crew, be on alert. We will now be bestowing final judgement on Red Apatite, the traitor Grey Agate, and the crew of Red Apatite. All Amethysts, Topazes, and Rubies are to report to the prison level immediately. All Peridots aboard are to stop what they're doing and standby with destabilizers. If any gem tries to attack you, do not hesitate to dissipate them. That is all."   
>The Red Pearl noticed that there wasn't anything towards her in that announcement. With the Peridots ordered to stop what they were doing and the soldier gems ordered to report to the prison level, she was left with nobody to assist. After a brief amount of thought, she came to a decision on what she should do. "I should go and see what's going to happen to the crew......they attacked this ship, but there was a time where I had fun with them. Knowing what happens to them first hand.....will keep me from wondering later."  
>With that thought, the Red Pearl hurried through the halls of the ship, towards the stairway and down from the main level to the prison level right below. When she arrived in the main hallway, she could see it was already packed with the gems that had been summoned there. She could just barely look over the crowd to see Yellow Apatite herself standing before the crowd, reaching down to open up one of the cells.   
>The yellow disruption field around it faded away, and Yellow Apatite reached into the cell. Soon, she pulled out a gem from within, a little Ruby squirming in fear in her grasp.   
>Yellow Apatite looked at the Ruby and spoke firmly. "Listen up. Your Apatite has been captured, and will shortly be transported to the planet below us in a bubble. She will be abandoned here, on this world marked inhospitable for gemkind, with no technology to help her survive. Logically, I should force you all onto the planet with her and be done with it, but.....I'm reluctant to do so, knowing what she may do to you all."   
>At those words, the Ruby stopped squirming and looked at Yellow Apatite in confusion. "You.....you aren't going to shatter us?"  
>"No, I'm not. If I shattered you all and her, I'd be no better than she is. No, I'm giving you and the rest of her crew a choice. If you wish, you may follow your Apatite in exile, subject yourself to being trapped on the same world as her for the rest of your existence. Or, you will be transported back to her vessel, which my second best pilot has flown right behind my ship here. When all of the crew has made their choices, those who choose it will be confined to her old ship, transported to a random sector of space, and left to their own devices. If we ever see you around again.....we won't show you any mercy. Is that clear?"  
>The Ruby thought for a moment. "So.....I get to choose between serving Red Apatite and......being with the ones that reject her?"  
>Yellow Apatite cracked a smile briefly. "Yes, you do. So what will it be?"  
>The Ruby didn't hesitate at all. "I choose not being with Red Apatite. I never liked her anyways."   
>Yellow Apatite nodded and spoke. Ruby facet 9TY cut 13PX, escort this Ruby to Red Apatite's ship. It'll be docking with us shortly to allow safe passage between the ships."  
>The Ruby mentioned did her best salute. "Yes my Apatite." she smiled before she made a threatening gesture to the other Ruby. "Don't try anything tricky now, or else!" The gems in the hall way parted to allow the Ruby pair through.   
>Yellow Apatite proceeded to do the same thing for each member of Red Apatite's crew. One by one, they were each given a choice of their fate, much to their surprise. One by one, the Rubies, Amethysts, Jaspers, Emeralds, and Agates of Red Apatite's crew chose to be exiled away from Red Apatite instead of with her. Breaks were taken in between prisoners when the group of soldier gems was low, the Emeralds and Agates requiring more than one guard each just to be safe. Eventually, there was only one gem left to be freed.   
>Yellow Apatite took a deep breath before she deactivated the last cell. The Hematite came out willingly, wasting no time and standing before Yellow Apatite, doing her best salute and speaking softly. "I'm ready for my punishment, shining Apatite."  
>Yellow Apatite was taken aback for a moment, but regained her composure quickly. "Hematite, you were the one that informed Red Apatite of our......activities aboard my ship., correct?"  
>"Yes shining Apatite."  
>"I must admit, a large part of me wants nothing more than to dissipate you right now and throw you in with Red Apatite and the traitorous Grey Agate that gave you the information in the first place. Yet......you weren't in a position to refuse an order from Red Apatite. I know what she's like all too well. You'll be given the choice, same as the rest of her crew. Will you face exile with Red Apatite? Or will you choose to join the rest of her crew aboard her old ship, to face the unknown with them?"  
>The Hematite visually flinched. "Shining Apatite......I have wrong your crew, and I have wronged Red Apatite's crew too. Yet....the thought of facing Red Apatite's anger on a world I cannot escape.......her crew will be furious too, but I'd rather face their retribution than face her wrath."  
>"Very well. You will be escorted to the ship, and then you will all be sent off into space towards the unknown. If you interrupt the warp sequence before it's done, the ship will detonate. Only the Peridot I had piloting the ship knows exactly where you'll all end up. You three Topazes! Escort this Hematite to the vessel. The rest of you will come with me. We're grabbing the bubble with Red Apatite's gem and the one with Grey Agate's gem, and we're going to the planet below to find a spot and set up a way to release them after we're long gone!"  
>With that, the Hematite was lead towards Red Apatite's old ship, and the fate of all of Red Apatite's old crew was determined. The crew would face exile together, free to do whatever they wanted to as long as they never came back to the gem empire to threaten Yellow Apatite and her crew again. Red Apatite and Grey Agate were taken to the hostile alien world in bubbles, placed next to each other in an open field, and their bubbles popped with a toss of two sharp objects towards them before the ship that had deposited them sped off and out of the atmosphere. The Red Pearl smiled at what had transpired. "I hope those gems find happiness together. I'm glad they were given a chance to find a new way, a new life, together, they deserve it after what my former master did to them........maybe I'll see them again someday."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Pearl that will become Comfy Pearl is informed her ship is ready to fly. Before she can leave, she has a promise to keep.

>A full day passed after Red Apatite and Grey Agate were marooned on a desolate out of the way world and Red Apatite's crew was sent off randomly into space to face their own exile and find their ways. The Peridots had finished up the diagnostics and repair work on the vessel the Red Pearl had been granted.   
>"You're all set now. The ship was in decent condition, but we still replaced some parts in the engines and ensured the ship's power core was fully charged, as well as performed repairs on the weapons system. We also installed a minor visual alteration device on the vessel that will allow you to render the craft invisible for a duration if you desire. Take care to remember where you left the ship if you leave it while the invisibility feature is active, or you'll have to wait for it to time out." One of the three Peridots present spoke with glee, proud of the work she and the others had accomplished in   
>The Red Pearl smiled. "Thank you for informing me Peridots, and thank you all for ensuring the ship is safe to fly and fully operational."  
>Another of the Peridots spoke. "It was our pleasure to carry out our Apatite's request, and to ensure your safety. You did assist us during some of our projects before."  
>"We'll miss having your assistance. All of us Peridots will. You're a wonderfully effective lab hand." The third Peridot spoke up. "Be sure to enjoy yourself, wherever you go. For all of us here and for yourself."  
>"I will. I'll be departing shortly, but first.....I have a promise to keep. Take care of yourselves too. It's been a pleasure to help out around this vessel."  
>With that, the Red Pearl left the company of the three Peridots that had worked on her ship and made her way towards Yellow Apatite's room. She had promised the Apatite she'd tell her before she left, and she intended to make good on her word.   
>The Red Pearl hesitated for a moment before the large yellow doors. She briefly wondered if Yellow Apatite might be in the middle of something important, but pushed those worries aside. She pressed a hand to the control panel and activated it, bringing up the built in notifier and activating it.   
>A slight crackling sound emitted from the panel as a screen popped out of it, and image flickering to life after a brief moment. Yellow Apatite was displayed on the screen, a tired look in her eyes and a frown on her face. The Apatite's frown quickly turned into a smile as she saw who it was that was notifying her. "Oh, my little red Pearl friend. If you're here, that means the ship is prepared, correct?"  
>"It is Apatite. I came because you asked me to see you before I left. I'm sorry if I caught you at a bad time."  
>"It's no problem, just give me a moment. I'll be right out." With that, the screen flickered away. The Red Pearl took a few steps away from the door, clasping her hands together in front of her as she waited.   
>She didn't have to wait long. It was only a few moments before Yellow Apatite exited her room with a smile. She looked down at the Red Pearl and spoke softly. "When you're ready, we'll go to the ship's holding bay."  
>The Red Pearl nodded and started walking at a brisk pace, Yellow Apatite following behind her, being careful to pace herself so she wouldn't step on the Pearl as she moved. "So, you're really leaving the ship? I know why you are, but you're sure you won't change your mind?" Yellow Apatite asked as they made their way through the ship.   
>The Red Pearl kept walking as she answered. "I'm certain. If I'm caught by other gems, it means being rejuvinated at the Reef. I......I might not have had the best existence, but my mind is mine......I don't want to lose my memories, or the things I've learned about. I want to remember. I want to keep my will and make my own choices. I....I am sorry. I know your crew likes me, and I know you'd like having me around too."  
>"No, I understand. You'd never be truly happy if you stayed with us. You'd always be worried about being discovered and caught. I can't ask you to live a life of worry, not when you've done so much for us. I....I do hope that, if there's ever a day where.......where we meet again, with no risks, and no worries. I hope if that day comes.....we can be friends, and equals."  
>This caused the Red Pearl to pause for a moment. She turned around and looked up at Yellow Apatite with a wide grin. "I hope that day comes too. It would be nice to see you all again, and.....and to see my ex master's crew too, if the chance arises. But until that day......stay safe. Don't get yourselves broken and keep your Human friend safe." She turned away after she said that and resumed walking, arriving at the large doors of the hanger. With a quick motion, she ran her fingers along the pad near the door, entering the command that would make the doors open.  
>The doors slid open, and the pair proceeded through the rows of ships, over towards the back end of the hanger. The ship the Red Pearl had been awarded was sitting right in front of a set of hanger doors now. Much to her surprise, the vessel had been painted red, a stark contrast from the light yellow hue it had once been. She couldn't help but smile at the extra touch that had been given to the ship, to show that it really was hers now. "It's wonderful. The Peridots did a great job with this. Please, give them my thanks once more."  
>Yellow Apatite nodded. "I will. Please.....stay safe out there. Go and live a long and full life. Discover many wonderful things out there."   
>"I will, I promise. Goodbye Apatite. Thank you for understanding, and making it possible for me to do this. May you find your own opportunity to live your own life soon."  
>With that, the Red Pearl climbed into the vessel and took off, the hanger doors opening up in response to the ship's movements, allowing her to maneuver the vessel out of the hanger and fly it off into space.   
>Yellow Apatite let out a deep sigh as she watched the triangular red ship fly off into space, a thought running through her head. "Thank you for everything dear Pearl. We got lucky this time but.......it may be time to seriously consider abandoning my post with my crew in tow. We can't keep living in fear forever......and Earth sounds so lovely. I know my beloved would love to go back to his home planet and show us around......we just need to find an opportune moment to act."  
\-------  
>Within the ship, the Red Pearl smiled as she pulled up the navigational menus. After a brief period of searching, she found the star maps, detailing all the colonies gemkind had established, and the planets that they had abandoned. Much to her surprise, when she was looking through the list of abandoned worlds to try and plot a safe course out of gem controlled space, she found the Earth's name on it.   
>"Earth was.....meant to be a colony? But, the way the Human and those gems talked about it, it would be full of resources. Why would they abandon such a world? What happened there?" The Red Pearl thought to herself.   
>After a few minutes of contemplation, she made up her mind. "Guess it doesn't matter. If it's been marked as abandoned, there should be no risk of any gems going there that aren't defecting. It should be safe. All the more reason to go check it out for myself."   
>With a smile on her face, she input the command into the ship to engage the gravity engines. The ship beeped a confirmation as it jumped into the warp. "Destination set. Planet Earth. Estimated time of arrival, one hour."  
>So it was that the Red Pearl that would become known as Comfy Pearl escaped the bonds of servitude and ended up going to Earth. Establishing a new life for herself wouldn't be easy, she would have to learn more about how humans behaved, spoke, acted, and about who to trust and who not to trust. But she would also learn first hand how wonderful some humans could be, and about how beautiful the planet really was. But those are stories for another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it. The end of this origin story. I hope people were able to enjoy this from start to finish, despite there being future stories that spoiled how it'd end. One of the pitfalls of writing and publishing things out of order I'm afraid.


End file.
